The Rise of House Black
by J26596
Summary: What if Sirius had a son who was raised like Harry in the muggle world as an adopted son and wanted to find his biological family when he went to Hogwarts? What if he became friends with Harry and together Houses Black and Potter changed the course of wizarding history and the war? Updated Chap 1-6 on 11/08/20
1. Chapter 1: Family Lost

**Rise of House Black**

**Family Lost**

**June 1981**

It was a quiet night that belayed the terror that many across the country felt and in a manor in the middle of the Kent countryside a young mum was putting her son to bed in his cot.

"That's it baby go to sleep, sleep for mummy that's a good boy" she cooed.

The manor was well furnished and built from a mixture of brick, stone and wood with the wooden cot of the young boy exemplifying that this was a well to do family with a long history with the carvings on it. Indeed a muggle historian, if they could see the manor, might say it was an excellent example of a Jacobean house from the 17th Century which was two stories high and had some elegant masonry work on the four corners of the manor with some additional pieces above the main door. This was the home of the McKinnons, the Ancient and Noble House of McKinnon. Under wards that had been added to over the centuries the family felt reasonably safe despite the troubles that had spread across the land, however, as with all things in war, this does not render them totally safe and invulnerable. It was as the young mother was walking down towards her own room she felt it, a slight brush against the wards she was partially linked into. A door creaked open down the hall and a man in his 50s or 60s with slightly greying brown hair stepped out in his night robes with his wand drawn.

"Did you feel that Marlene?" he said croakily.

"Yeah, it felt like something glanced against the wards, do you think _they_ are here?"

asked a worried Marlene.

"Probably, they know we're are against them in the Wizengamot and I'm sure one or two suspect your involvement with Dumbledore's little group not to mention who the father of your son is." Another brush against the wards though this time harder than previously. "Yes they're definitely trying to breach the wards, I can feel them probing from different sides trying to find a weak spot though they should struggle for a while."

"Father perhaps we should call for help or at least head to the floo and get out while we can before they put their own wards up?"

"Indeed, I'll wake your mother, grab your son and we'll floo out, hopefully once they realise we're not here they'll leave." With that he turned back into his bedroom while Marlene hurried back along the corridor to the nursery to grab her son. "Tipsy" she called and with a crack a house elf appeared before her dressed in her clean but ageing rags with the McKinnon crest on.

"Tipsy, pack a night bag we need to hurry before the wards are breached and the floo is blocked."

"Yes Mistress Marly" the elf replied in a squeaky voice and popped away to gather the needed items. Meanwhile Lord Andrew McKinnon was waking his wife and packing each some essentials quickly with flicks of his wand. "Come on Sophie we need to leave now, we don't have much time left!" he urged while dashing around sorting the packed bags while monitoring the wards giving a bit of his magic occasionally to shore up the wards to buy more time.

Once the family had assembled in the floo room near the elegant reception hall Lord McKinnon grabbed some powder from a pot nearby and chucked it into the fireplace and announced "Abbott's Manor!" However nothing happened, he stood in the fireplace with not even a spark of green fire showing. A sudden feeling of entrapment went over Andrew and Marlene as they felt a hostile layer appear over their wards.

"Is that what I think it was father?"

"Yes, anti-apparation and anti-portkey wards plus they have somehow blocked our floo."

"You always thought there might be a spy in the floo network department dear, this is the 5th instance we know of where it has shut down unexpectedly" said Lady McKinnon while worriedly glancing around the hall. It was then, just as Andrew was about to reply, that a crashing sound was heard ringing throughout the manor. While the baby cried, set off by the crash, Lord McKinnon desperately tried to repair what few wards were left to stave off the forces approaching his ancestral home and family. Unfortunately it was not to be as seconds later the front door was blasted open splintering into many pieces as it blew inwards. The McKinnons scattered heading upstairs to put some distance between them and the cloaked attackers with bone white masks. "There they go! Get the blood traitors!" shouted the lead Death Eater, cloaked in a black flowing robe and hood with a bone white mask, as he fired off a load of bone breakers and the occasional killing curse towards the family causing burn marks to appear on the stairs and splintering the wooden banister in places. The family ran towards the Lord's bedchamber as it was the only independently warded room in the manor other than the Lord's office. Before entering Andrew fired off a few curses and jinxes to delay the attackers, wounding or distracting a couple but three still pursued them up the stairs. With the door between them and their prey the Death Eaters began to cast heavy spells to break the wards such as '_bombarda_' while inside the family has gone to the furtherest point from the door transfiguring items into walls and large objects then moving said items to shore up the door and that wall. "Marlene get Tipsy and get James out of here."

"But the anti-apparation wards?"

"Doesn't work for house elves and it doesn't stop them from taking someone with them."

"What about you then?" replied Marlene angrily, she wasn't going to abandon her family but she did want her son safe. The room shook as the force of the spells increased as the wounded and previously distracted attackers reached their allies and added their own spellfire to the attack.

"We don't have time to argue, call her and go. Now!"

"Tipsy!" with a crack the small elf appeared with some plaster and burn marks on her uniform from where the building was attacked with fire, bone breakers and all manner of other dark curses. "I need you to take me and James to Sirius at his west London flat." But before said task could be carried out by the loyal elf, the wall and door broke from the spellfire the death eaters had been casting showering the room with plaster, dust, wood and brick. Turning her back in order to shield her son Marlene gave the baby over to the elf and told Tipsy to go and come back for her however before the elf could, more spells shot across the room some shielded against by Lord and Lady McKinnon but others wrecked the bed and other furniture sending pieces flying in all directions as spells kept coming. "Tipsy just go!" screamed Marlene and the elf apparated away with a crack! but as it did so shards of the wood created by the curses and other pieces of transfigured wood used as spears by the Death Eaters hurtled towards Marlene and the elf.

With a CRACK the elf was gone and the shields created by the Lord and Lady of the manor faltered and with them down one of the black cloaked attackers, tired of the running around the house and fighting, cast the final spell that ended it all "_FIENDF__Y__RE_!" With a roaring sound and a heat like the sun the cursed flame left his wand like a snake leaping towards its prey and charged towards the McKinnons who hoped that in all the confusion the elf had not been seen. As the flame devoured the room the Death Eaters backed out the room and hurried down the stairs casting _Incendios_ and setting light to as much as they could all while screams were heard upstairs in the Lord's Bedchamber and the paintings too wailed at the disaster befalling the house. Feeling it to be too draining to keep going the Death Eater barely called off the _Fiendf__y__re_ and ran out after the others leaving the remaining flames to burn. Before leaving one turned around and cast "_MOR__SMORDRE_!" and a ghastly greenish light shot into the sky above the manor creating a skull with a snake slithering out of its mouth and then with loud cracks they left the once magnificent two story manor house to burn. When Aurors eventually arrived due to the magic cast tripping country wide alarms all that remains was the ground floor with a ceiling intact in some locations but no first floor or roof, and a few fires smouldering away with the Dark Mark hovering above their heads. It was a gutted wreck which remain that way as it was sealed off from the outside world by goblins hours later.

**A.N. Thanks for reading this is my first story so please review and hopefully I'll have new chapters up soon. **


	2. Chapter 2: Family Gained

**Rise of House Black**

**Family Gained**

**June 1981**

In another region of the country in quiet part of west London in a muggle neighbourhood in the early hours of the morning a soft crack was heard in the garden of a three bed semi-detached house. In the house were some muggles, a recently married couple who had been trying for children for a short while but without success so far. The crack was heard by one them who woke up with a start, then after hearing the wale of a baby he listened carefully, checking where it was coming from. Hearing it coming from the garden he went downstairs and looked out. Seeing what he though was small child holding something he rushed out, coming to a stop when he realised it wasn't a child at all but some child-like creature with big eyes and floppy ears with a sort of brownish grey coloured skin and wearing a dirty cloth that seemed to have a crest, like for an old noble family or someone such as the Queen, proudly displayed over its heart. However that wasn't the important thing, in fact there were two important things. One, the bundle it carried held a young baby possibly a bit over a year old, and two, there was a large piece of wood about the length of the man's forearm sticking out of the creature.

"Must help….must help master James….go to…." the creature croaked to him. 'Clearly it's not in good shape Master James? I wonder if it means the baby?' the man thought.

"Is the baby James? Who...What are you? Why are you here?" the man finally said nervously after taking a moment to steady himself.

"Master...James Arct...Arctur…. Arcturus….Bl...Bla…must get him to...to...to" and with that the creature keeled over onto its side, its chest still and its eyes now closed as the baby in its blanket gently rolled away towards the man. He then slowly knelt down to pick up the bundle as well as to look carefully at the creature. Hearing footsteps on the patio behind him, the man turned around to see his wife had come outside to see what had happened dressed in her night clothes and a dressing gown.

"Steven what's going on?" she asked while rubbing her eyes blearily.

"Er, to tell you the truth I'm not entirely certain myself love" he replied while standing there with a baby in his arms and the unknown creature on the ground behind him. Handing the child to his wife to take care of he knelt back down beside the child like creature and looked it over and searched it. Apart from the rags it wore with the crest on there was nothing to identify who or what it was or who the baby was or belongs to. Deciding to bury the creature, as it had seemed to have served the baby or its family faithfully and thus deserved some respect due being such a loyal servant, Steven took a few photos of it to prove he wasn't mad but also to keep for when the baby was older. He could also use them to try and identify the family crest worn by the creature. Once he was done he gently laid it in a small grave at the bottom of the garden with a fist size greyish white stone on top to act as a marker should the need arise to visit it again.

Back inside the lady was looking after the baby. She carefully assessed him noting the dark hair and dark grey eyes and some dust covering his clothes and the baby's well made and expensive looking blanket but she also saw that his skin was otherwise unblemished. "At least he seems healthy" she said quietly to herself as she cared for the boy.

"Susan" she looked up and saw her husband coming in. "What should we do with the boy? I feel we should check to see if he has any family but if not..." he trailed of looking at his wife.

"Yes that is probably best, go to the nearest orphanage or just call social services?"

"Services, we can look after him for now, hell maybe we could even adopt him, you know we've been trying but not got anywhere yet we could take him in and raise him instead."

And so the following morning they called social services who said they would see if any young children had been reported missing or if there were any relatives to a James Arcturus. Days later the house phone rang and the family was told no children matching the description of the young boy were reported missing and no family was found. The Petersons then asked if they could adopt the child since he had no where to go and few people would willingly send an orphaned boy to an orphanage if they could adopt the child instead. With that granted by social services Susan and Steven welcomed their new addition to the family. While the new parents smiled the baby gurgled and laughed and smiled at these new people who he would learn were his parents. At last until he was old enough to know the actual situation.

* * *

Meanwhile not too far away in another area of London a distraught, haggard and despondent Sirius decided to to devote himself to his godson. Vowing to help anyway he could to keep this one safe where he had failed his only son he left the street with a CRACK while heading to Godric's Hollow where House Potter was currently hiding under Fidelius. As he went Sirius thought of various ways he could help his brother in all but blood and his godson.

* * *

Over the following years James would grow up to be an intelligent kind boy who enjoyed football and tennis but also loved reading. He would join the local Beaver and Cub Scout groups, enjoying the camping and other activities the two group would get on to do while also learning new skills they taught such as making knots, archery and rock climbing. As the years went on, starting mostly after what they believed was his fifth birthday, the occasional incident would occur when he was rather excited or terribly upset. Once when he was particularly excitable his teacher's hair turned bright green, her hair had been brown before. No one knew what had happened and it was back to normal the following day. Another time when he was sent to bed without desert for being bad a tub of ice cream appeared by his bed. They found out when they heard him shout in surprise and saw him with it but having no idea how that tub of ice cream had got from the freezer to his bed without them seeing him carry it upstairs. That said things mostly calmed down after his eighth or ninth birthday and while there it was rare now, James having learned to control or at least calm it and thus reducing occurrences of these events. However it would all be explained when he reached his eleventh birthday...


	3. Chapter 3: The Letter

**AN: Probably should have written on the other chapters but of course I own nothing but my imagination and the OCs as everything else belongs to the Wizarding World of J. **

**The Rise of House Black**

**The Letter**

**26th May 1991**

With a yawn a young boy woke and stretched his arms while in bed sitting up and checking the time to see it was just gone 7:30 in the morning. His dark hair was messy from sleep and his grey eyes slowly blinking open and as they blearily looked around his room. It was his birthday or so he was told. When he was 10 his parents had told him he was adopted and they didn't know his real age but they had gone to the doctors and hospital when adopting him and they had carried out a test to figure out his birthday was late May or early June which was eventually narrowed, though more of an educated guess, to the 26th May. Today was his eleventh birthday and, like any young boy of eleven, he was eager for what was in store so he rushed out of his room and down the stairs to see his presents. Woken up by their son, and an overly excited one at that, the Petersons were soon all mostly awake and downstairs giving him this years presents. Ripping through the paper to get at a few books, a couple VHS tapes, as well as some Star Wars action figures, James was giddy with excitement. In all a tidy amount but not too much for an only child of eleven.

"Thanks Mum, thanks Dad".

"No worries James just remember to eat your breakfast before you run off and get too engrossed in those books." replied Mrs Peterson. James Arcturus Peterson stood around average height and build for his age and smiled broadly at his mum before dashing off to the kitchen to pour some cereal and a glass orange juice with his father, Steven, nearby doing the same.

It was around the middle of the morning, ten O'clock or so, and with everyone now dressed and fully awake, that the door bell rang. "I'll get it" said Mr Peterson as he was the nearest to door after just coming downstairs. Unlocking the door and opening it he found not the postman he was expecting but a severe-looking woman with square glasses wearing an emerald cloak over her clothes and her black hair drawn up into a bun.

"Good morning, Mr Peterson I presume?" the lady said with a Scottish accent.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

"I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall, I have come to speak to you about your son, James, he has been offered a place at the school I teach at, Hogwarts. In fact, I have his acceptance letter here for you to read" she said handing over a thick, heavy and yellowish envelope of high quality and feeling a bit like parchment with the address for James in green ink:

_Mr J. Peterson_

_The 2nd Bedroom_

_10 Abbotsgrove Drive_

_Upper Pinton_

_Middlesex_

On the other side was a wax seal with four segments; a lion, a badger, and eagle and in the final part a snake, and a H in the middle.

"Er, I don't remember putting my son down for private school, how did he get accepted if we didn't ask?" Mr Peterson asked cautiously.

"Yes I can see why you'd say that, however, if I may come inside, I can explain the situation" Professor McGonagall replied kindly. He thought it over for a moment or two, looking first at the woman in front of him and then looking down at the envelope. "Very well, though this is most unusual" he said with a grumble and with that he led her in to the living room where his wife was watching the TV.

"We have a visitor dear."

"I'm Professor McGonagall Mrs Peterson, I am here to talk about your son having a place at the school I work for."

"Oh really? I didn't think we had tried to enter him in a private school, did we Steven?" she said in confusion.

"We hadn't" her husband said from beside McGonagall as he went to stand next to his wife.

"That's what I thought. Would you like a tea or coffee Professor?" She asked as she went to get herself and her husband a pot of tea.

"A tea if you'd be so kind please" McGonagall answered back as she took a seat on the sofa by the front window as Mr Peterson took a seat on the sofa opposite after indicating to sit.

"So what is this Hogwarts then? Oh James, why don't you come join us then since you decided to make an appearance. Plus it is about you" he said jokingly seeing James standing in the doorway to the hall looking on in curiosity..

"Yeah sure, dad what's this about? And you know if I don't make an 'appearance' as you call it, I just might get stuck reading and not hear you is all" James replied with a slight bashfulness to his statement about reading too much.

"I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall James, and I teach at a school called Hogwarts. It's a special school, so to speak. Why don't you read the letter first and I'll take things from there." And with that James was handed the letter by his father, who then broke the seal, pulled the letter out and began to read aloud:

"_Dear Mr Peterson,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1__st__ September. We await your __o__wl by not later than 31__st__ July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall,_

_Deputy Headmistress_."

"Witchcraft? Wizardry? You can't be serious surely?" Mr Peterson spluttered.

"Oh I am quite serious Mr Peterson. I am a witch and your son is a wizard. Surely you've had some things occur that couldn't quite be explained?" she answered back though there seem to be a slight twitch to her mouth before she spoke as if wanting to say something else before replying in the way she did. Indeed over the last ten years since he was adopted there have been a few unexplained occurrences such as somehow getting at a toy which was out of reach, food that was similarly unavailable and even turning a student's blonde hair pink though no one at the time knew it was James and he didn't even know how it happened either. Seeing some recognition dawn on their faces McGonagall continued.

"You would be what is known as a muggle-born. A wizard born from non-magical parents. I myself am a half-blood, a daughter of a pure-blood witch and a muggle father though it can obviously be the other way round as well with a wizard and a muggle mother. A pure-blood would be a witch or wizard who can trace magic back at least two or three generations, essentially back to their grandparents or further. How and why muggle-borns get magic no one quite knows though many speculate. The Headmaster of Hogwarts is Professor Albus Dumbledore, a great and powerful wizard who defeated a dark lord many years ago and is the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and holds the position of Supreme Mugwump, which is the title of the head of the International Confederation of Wizards."

"Wizenwhat? Dark lord? Mugwump? What do you mean?" asked James confusedly and with curiously.

"The Wizengamot is the High Court and sole law making body similar to the House of Lords in the muggle world, non-magic folk are referred to as muggles dear boy, and the Chief Warlock title is the position of the head of that body acting as a moderator as well as organising and overseeing everything, I believe much as your Speaker of the House would. Supreme Mugwump is the title given to the head of the ICW, in essence the head of the wizarding United Nations in your terms. And yes a dark lord, not every witch or wizard is good, though many are. There will always be a bad one and the worst are labelled, or self style themselves as a dark lord" explained McGonagall as she continued her lecture. "To further prove to you I am not mad or lying, _Avis_" she said and just before she said the last word she took out a stick, gave a wave and suddenly there appeared 4 or 5 birds flying about the room chirping away as though without a care in the world. James and his parents ducked as the birds flew around before McGonagall waved the stick again and the birds vanished as though they'd never been there. The Peterson's all stood, or sat, astonished at what had happened. Indeed James had his mouth open, gaping like a fish. "I see you believe me now?" Minerva said with a slight smile.

"Er, yeah of course, never doubted you" the others hurriedly murmured back while still a bit dazed at the revelations. Seeing the parents looking curiously at the stick in her hand Minerva explained "This is a wand, it is individually matched and no two wands are the same even if they are the same wood and core they will be from different trees or animals or be of different lengths."

"Not to spoil everything but say we agree to send him how will we pay for all this? We aren't rich but we do reasonably well, and where would we buy the things on this list? I wouldn't know where to get a cauldron or some of these ingredients, let alone the books" questioned Mrs Peterson.

"There is a trust fund for muggle-borns that helps pay for the items mentioned. There is also no tuition fees to worry about as the Ministry of Magic covers all education costs. As for where to go, I would take you to Diagon Alley, where, after visiting Gringotts bank, we would then purchase your supplies".

"Mmmm, well it seems you have most things covered though I'm still unsure if I entirely believe what I've seen and heard though its hard to deny." Mr Peterson said cautiously as he slowly paced up and down the room while pondering the information they'd been told, all while James was reading over the equipment list for the 3rd time.

"Steven, you could ask about the you know what in the garden" Mrs Peterson suggested to break the silence.

"Pardon dear?" Mr Peterson said as he didn't quite hear due to being busy thinking on various things.

"You know that thing buried in the garden." she repeated. James and McGonagall looked on in confusion.

"What, may I ask, are you talking about?" asked McGonagall.

"I'd like to know too" piped up James who was curious to know just what was buried in the garden, quickly thinking of and then discarding the idea it could be gold, books or other treasure.

After sharing a silent conversation with his wife Mr Peterson answered. "About 10 years ago during the early hours of the morning a small creature appeared in the garden with a baby. The creature was badly injured and asked us to help the boy. We later adopted him and named him using the words the creature barely was able to tell us. James you were brought here by whatever that servant was. We did take a picture of it in the hopes one day we could identify it or the symbol on it clothing. We tried looking up the crest a few times but no one we asked had a clue, merely saying it was some old family crest."

"May I see these picture?" asked McGonagall, curious all of a sudden to know what could possibly have turned up in their garden.

"Yeah I'll just go get them, give me a mo" answered Steven as he walked out the room and upstairs.

"I was brought here by some creature?" asked James in wonder.

"Yes dear, we told you you were adopted but we didn't see any reason to bring this part up as there was no reason to and it wouldn't have done anything but give you more questions. We thought it best to leave it be unless something came up. Something like this it seems" Mrs Peterson said kindly.

At this point Mr Peterson returned and handed over a brown envelope. "They're inside" he said. McGonagall took them out and looked at the slightly faded images.

"Hmm, yes what you have there is a house elf. A small but loyal creature typically owned by the rich pure-blood families, especially the old families. They are usually bound to a member of the family, normally the head of the family or Lord, though sometimes the family in general and serve their masters or family as required. Most are treated fairly well, including the ones at Hogwarts, but some of the dark families can be particularly cruel to them if they fail a task or the like. The House Elves can't leave as it needs to be bound to a wizard or family in order to live, as they take a bit of our magic to survive, as well as the fact it is bound to its master in the first place and can only be dismissed by being given clothes. If you were brought here by an elf young Mr Peterson then it is likely you are related to one of these old families in some way. It would also answer your question, which you are no doubt are pondering, as to where did you magic come from. If you are from an old family then it simply means you are likely a pure-blood or half-blood and thus you directly inherited it from your biological family" the Hogwarts professor informed them.

"Why would the elf appear here though? And why was it so badly injured?"

"10 years ago it appeared you say? It would have been the height of the war, the blood war some call it. On one side you had the Ministry, such as it was, and Albus Dumbledore, while on the other was a number of pure-blood families and dark creatures lead by a wizard we call He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You Know Who. The reason for this is because any who spoke his real name usually ended up dead mere hours or days later making some believe that there was a curse on the name so that the Death Eaters, His followers, knew who had said it and where, thus few speak his name and most are still terrified to hear it due to a belief that Death Eaters will show up. Only Dumbledore speaks the name freely even today though given who Dumbledore is no Death Eater would dare go against him as even their master didn't challenge him either. The war ended when You Know Who himself visited a young family called the Potters and killed them all, all but their son Harry who somehow survived and defeated the dark wizard, he is therefore known to many as The Boy Who Lived. You should know that he will be in your year at Hogwarts just so you are aware. It is therefore likely that the elf rescued or was ordered to take young James here from his home when they were attacked by the Death Eaters during this war." Knowing that his family was likely all dead saddened James as before he knew them they were gone.

"What abut that crest on the uniform, any idea whose it is?" asked Mr Peterson.

"I'm afraid not, I never knew all the crests and the pictures do not clearly show it in enough detail to make an educated guess I'm afraid. That said, I can confirm it was likely one of the older and richer families given the some of the features plus the use of an elf and uniform adding to that. It was probably also a light family since a uniform was used. The darker ones just make the elves were rags." The pictures were indeed worn, the details were also was lacking due to the picture resolution making identifying it tricky and a long shot at best.

"Continuing on about that crest, I can say with some certainty that, after seeing it, I believe young James here is indeed from an old family though he would need an inheritance test at Gringotts to confirm it fully. The good news is, is that he will likely have a vault with wizard money in it already so he will not be limited by a Hogwarts trust account, as well as access to a family library and possibly a home. The downside, depending on your viewpoint, is that he may, depending on the family he is from, have to get involved with the Wizengamot due to needing to appoint a regent or proxy. Only some families have to do this but if it is a minor house he will not need worry about it. This will all need to be done at Gringotts or in person with the people you wish to represent you as I'm afraid this is the limit of my knowledge in this field due to never having needed it myself" McGonagall finished.

"Wow" James said realising now that he might have some real responsibility now as a Lord and not just helping round the house with the occasional chore like laying the table or helping his dad dry the dishes. James also began to realise he was entering a new stage in life, one that could be an adventure and educational but one likely filled with responsibility to his wizard family whoever they may be. He'd read Lord of the Rings and knew that while not as big as Frodo and the ring running a House might be just the same for him if its just him rebuilding it on top of him needing to learn more than the ordinary wizard such as the etiquette. He was in for some interesting times ahead.

"Don't let it go to your head James. Being involved in government is serious and tricky business and will be hard work. This gives you extra reason to take your studies seriously" Steven said to his son chidingly.

"Well then, shall we go to Diagon Alley?" asked Professor McGonagall as she stood up to leave.

**AN: Bit of a long chapter after a short one but hopefully this sets things up nicely for the future. I'm trying to set James up as someone who enjoys to learn, a bit like Hermione but not to the same level, but also someone who will take the responsibility seriously not just seriusly, if you pardon the pun. J Signing off**


	4. Chapter 4: Diagon Alley

**AN: I don't own any of this apart from the OCs and my imaginative take on this world. The rest all belongs to JKR.**

**The Rise of House Black**

**Diagon Alley**

**26th May 1991**

The family, plus McGonagall, proceeded into London and then to Charring Cross Road via the use of the eccentric and very purple coloured triple decker bus called the Night Bus. After the chaotic and speedy trip they arrived at their destination where they began to notice an increasing amount of what the Petersons would call oddly dressed people in old clothes or mismatching clothes such as one man who appeared to be wearing a kilt and a yellow jacket. However they soon came to a tiny, grubby looking and very old pub with an equally old sign hanging off the wall, or at least that's what James saw. His parents on the other hand didn't seem to see it at all and were looking about wondering why they were standing here in Charring Cross.

"This is the Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley and the main magical area in London other than the Ministry of Magic" explained Professor McGonagall as she approached the door.

"Where are you looking James? I can't seem to see this pub of yours" said Mr Peterson.

"Over there dad" replied James pointing at the pub but the Petersons seemed to refuse to look at it.

"It's best if we just lead them inside Mr Peterson, they'll be fine then" McGonagall said to James and with that she grabbed Mr Peterson's arm and pulled him towards the door. Copying the Professor, James led his mum inside as well. Once there they saw that the outside seemed to reflect the inside perfectly. It was dark and very old, as if built in the 1500s or earlier, with candles flickering in the corners as well as on the large chandelier that hung above, lighting the main area which had a number of tables and chairs dotted about just like in any other pub, some of which were occupied.

"Ah Professor, got time for a small one or are you on business today?" asked the man from behind the bar grabbing a small glass from under bar top.

"No thank you Tom, I'm leading this family into the Alley to get their things. Hogwarts business I'm sure you understand" replied McGonagall primly, as though insulted to be asked to have a drink while on the job, as she continued through the pub to a door at the back which lead to a small courtyard. "That was Tom, the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron, nice man and always willing to help anyone who passes through. Here we are, watch which bricks I tap as you will need to remember this for future trips here." With that said she turned to the wall, pulled out her wand and began tapping the brick wall in 3 places after which the wall began to dissolve, splitting apart and creating an archway into a long winding cobbled street where a few people of all ages wearing robes of various designs and colours were milling about. "Welcome" said McGonagall "to Diagon Alley." She always enjoyed the look of awe new visitors to the Alley had when the wall was shaped into the arch. Their amazement at the transfiguration and the Alley itself was always a joy to watch. This time was no different as she smirked at the Peterson's reactions.

Once they'd recovered the small party began to walk along the street, looking this way and that as they saw shops called _Flourish & Blotts,_ which seemed to sell tons books, _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions,_ which was a clothes shop apparently, and then almost next door they passed another called _Quality Quidditch Supplies _where a couple of young children were pressed against the glass peering in. "Wow, the new Nimbus 2000, it's the fastest model yet" James heard one boy say excitedly as the group passed further down the Alley. James wished he had more eyes so he could see all the shops and make a list of which ones he needed to visit.

"Over there is where you can get an owl, which are useful for delivering post to friends and family, or some other pet" informed McGonagall as they passed an old looking shop with a number of owl in cages or on perches. They continued down the alley which seemed quiet despite being the weekend.

"Professor why does it seem so quiet?" James asked. Indeed the Alley was quiet with only a handful or so witches and wizards milling about.

"That would be because most children are at Hogwarts and they can't leave the school during term time. The exception to this is from 3rd year and above when you're allowed to visit the local village of Hogsmeade, which is close to the school, with a signed permission slip and that is only on select weekends. It is also why I am here now, as it is a weekend there are no lessons and thus I was free to deliver this on your birthday as we try to give the letter to our prospective students as close to their eleventh birthdays as possible while providing time to reply by then end of July. Those with August birthdays are given the letter in early July instead" explained McGonagall as the others nodded in understanding.

They passed more shops selling various items like silver or pewter cauldrons and second-hand books as well as a store called _Slug & Jiggers Apothecary _which James thought for a moment sold body parts and upon reading more closely it was actually dragon liver and another item called frogs eyes. "Dragon liver?" cringed James in disgust.

"Yes its used in potion making, something you will learn to do a Hogwarts. Along with Transfiguration, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology and History of Magic to name a few. I teach Transfiguration for your information" answering the question James was no doubt about to ask. They soon came to the end of the Alley which was dominated by the imposing marble front and columns and which had _Gringotts Bank_ written upon it with large bronze doors. Standing on either side of the doors, guarding it, in a scarlet and gold uniform with armoured plates on their chest and back, were -

"Goblins Mr Peterson" said McGonagall seeing the direction James and his parents were looking. The slightly ugly looking short people looked stern and vicious and not to be crossed. The group looked nervously at them as they stepped up to the bronze outer doors. Approaching the snowy-white building they saw a second set of doors through the main large doors and upon these second doors there were some words engraved:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

'_Well isn't that just cheery' _thought James sarcastically, '_almost as if they're daring someone to try. Though quite cunning and must take some guts to dare wizards so boldly. They also seem to take security quite seriously.'_ They passed into the main area which was ostentatiously decorated in coloured marble and crystal chandeliers. It looked lavishly rich and well maintained. The newcomers gasped at the decor in amazement while McGonagall carried on walking. There were a few witches and wizards were talking with goblins who sat behind tall wooden counters along each side of the walking area and a number of large chandeliers hung from the domed ceiling, lighting the room. Professor McGonagall lead them over to an empty teller and waited. And waited some more. Until she finally gave a polite cough and the goblin sitting there finally glance up.

"Yes witch, what can Gringotts do for you?" he said gruffly as though wishing he hadn't been interrupted.

"Yes I have a new student for Hogwarts who would also like an inheritance test to be conducted. I believe you do them, correct?"

"For a price, but yes we do conduct inheritance tests though most of you wand wavers never seem to bother. And you wonder why so many of your _great_ lines die out" he replied snidely. "Very well, follow me to Inheritance and Wills department and they will sort you out o I can get back to work quickly. After all, time is money" and with that he climbed down from his counter and led the group of four down a marble corridor that had lamps dotted regularly along the wall providing plenty of light to enjoy the splendour of the bank. They finally arrived, after going through many corridors and passing many rooms, at a large well furnished room with a single desk and a goblin busy working behind it signing documents and moving piles of parchment around.

"Gornuk, I have some potential clients here, one of whom has asked for an inheritance test" stated the goblin who had led them to the room. The elderly goblin who sat behind the desk looked up.

"Indeed, and do they know that it costs and that they pay whether or not they find anything?" Gornuk asked.

"Yes I informed them when they asked."

"Very well, you may return to the main hall and continue to serve the bank. I will handle things from here." With that the younger goblin turned and left to go back to his counter in the main hall.

"So which of you wishes the test or is it all of you?" the elder goblin asked hopefully.

"Er, just me sir, er Mr Gornuk sir. What does the test entail?" James asked politely feeling it best to tread carefully and respectfully with goblins. While the goblin showed some slight disappointment at there being only one taker of the test he none the less set about gathering the needed items to conduct it.

"It is simple really, prick your finger with the knife, give the enchanted parchment 5 drops of your blood and we are done. So easy even a wizard could do it, if they knew the right magics of course he he" Gornuk added with a small toothy laugh displaying his sharp pointed teeth as he did. With a slight push from Professor McGonagall to move forward, James walked slowly towards the desk where he saw an A4 size piece of parchment and a very sharp knife next to it.

"Pick up the knife and prick your finger then allow 5 drops to fall onto the parchment" instructed Gornuk again. James picked up the knife and took the point to his forefinger and gently pricked the tip till there was blood coming out, then holding it above the parchment he allowed 5 drops to fall. Then, as if by magic, the wound quickly healed and he stood staring in surprise at the fact it was gone as if he hadn't even been hurt.

"The knife is enchanted to heal the cut after the required amount is taken. We don't want you dripping blood all over the place, plus blood can be used in many different ways so you'll always want to get healed up quickly" lectured the goblin. "Now let's see if you have the right to inherit anything shall we." And so the group gather around the parchment waiting for it to do something. Then slowly, words began to form…

**AN: And on that fine ending I give you the next part of the story. I have a rough idea of the next few chapters and the last of those is going to Hogwarts though that might change depending on the length of the previous chapters. Have a vague idea for romances though nothing set in stone yet, ideas? Thanks for the reviews and follows, J signing off**


	5. Chapter 5: Gringotts and Inheritance

**AN: As you know I don't own anything just the OCs with everything else belonging to JK Rowling, now on with the story…**

**The Rise of House Black**

**Gringotts and Inheritance**

**26th May 1991**

Slowly, words formed on the parchment making the Petersons gasp at the words which seemed to come from no where.

_**Name: James Arcturus Black  
**__**D.O.B: 26th May 1980  
**__**Father: Sirius Orion Black  
**__**Mother: Marlene Anne McKinnon  
**__**Godfather: James Fleamont Potter  
**__**Godmother: Andromeda Cassiopeia Tonks (née Black)**_

_**Titles:  
**__**Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black  
**__**Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of McKinnon**_

_**Trust vaults granted: Black and McKinnon**_

"Well, isn't this interesting" said the goblin dryly.

"Oh my, you're his son?!" Exclaimed McGonagall her Scottish brogue beginning to come through "that traitorous, betraying piece of -"

"I think that's quite enough professor you're scaring the poor lad" interrupted Mr Peterson growing concerned with what McGonagall was saying.

"Her reaction is understandable, to a degree, but you must remember _Professor_ that no wand waving is allowed on Gringotts premises, nor verbally abusing clients" emphasising her position to remind her of her duties and the impartiality it demands.

"Yes, er, I apologise it was out of order of me but it was just quite a shock given who your father is. Plus, as far as everyone is concerned, you're suppose to be dead."

"DEAD!?" exclaimed James, "But I'm alive, I'm standing right here with that...that...form thingy said who I am, it can't be tricked right?" looking to the Gornuk.

"No it can't. The goblin magic in the parchment is tricky but infallible. You are who the document says you are" he said with finality that brokered no argument.

"Are any of those people mentioned alive Mr Gornuk?" asked Mrs Peterson.

"Two of them are alive, one is in prison however. As you might have guessed from the professor's reaction, Sirius Black currently languishes in the maximum security wing of Azkaban prison, the sole prison of Magical Britain, while Andromeda Tonks is happily married with a daughter" informed the goblin.

"Why is my...er...dad? Father? In prison?" asked James with some slight dread, after all, surely only the worst would be in a maximum security wing.

"It is claimed, from what you wand wavers printed in the rag that is the Daily Prophet, that he murdered 12 muggles and killed a wizard. He is also said to have betrayed the location of the Potters to the Dark Lord" replied Gornuk.

"What was his defence in the trial?" asked Mr Peterson.

"Defence?! That man betrayed his best friend and godson! He killed one of their other friends then blew up a street! Barty Crouch sentenced him to life for his crimes as they were so obvious and he has been in prison ever since to rot as he deserves" spat McGonagall, clearly still angry with the man even after all these years.

"That doesn't mean he can't have a fair trial, what happened to any other caught Death Eaters? Did Black actually have a trial in the end?" asked Mrs Peterson.

"For the most part they did received trials, some were thrown straight into prison after while others pleaded the Imperius curse and were thus not in control of their actions and so were let free. In regards to Sirius Black, it is widely believed that he did have a trial and that, as the Professor said, it was a clear cut case" stated the goblin. "Now I will lead you to the Black Account Manger before summoning the McKinnon Account Manager to the same room. Follow me" he said ending the discussion and walking out the room prompting the group of four, still divided over what they'd heard, to follow down the corridor. Then down another and then another till they came to a room with a plaque with the words _Ripjaw – Black Accounts Manager_ engraved on it.

* * *

"Ripjaw, I bring you clients and a future haha" cackled Gornuk.

"Clients? There are no new ones. They're either dead, in prison, expelled or married. So who is it that has got a claim?

"Er, me sir, Mr Ripjaw sir" answered James with a raised hand, "I'm James Arcturus Black, I'm the heir apparently."

"The Heir? Well, why didn't you say so, what can I do for you Heir Black?

"I'll leave you with him Heir Black and bid you fair well, may your blades kill your enemies slowly and painfully."

"Thank you for your time and er may your vaults fill quickly?" James made up on the spot, but upon seeing a respectful nod from Gornuk and a muttered "barely acceptable but better than other wand wavers" knew he'd figuratively struck gold. With that, James, his parents and McGonagall were left with Ripjaw in the ostentatiously furnished office that had a large family crest hanging on the wall behind the goblin.

"Please, have a seat. I will assume you want an overview of the account and family members still alive?" Ripjaw asked once everyone was seated in front of him.

"Please, if I'm responsible for them I should at least know of them and know about what assets I have I guess" replied James.

"Due to the last Lord dying 8 years ago and no new lord or heir available the account has stagnated although it still brings in a tidy profit though only small amounts. That said your liquid assets, your cash amount or easily cash exchangeable items such as jewellery" he added upon the confused look of James, "are actually fairly high standing at approximately 600 million galleons. Indeed your overall wealth puts you amongst the wealthiest in Britain and at a reasonable standing globally. You have a number of properties; a town-house here in London, a large manor out in Cambridgeshire and cottage in the south of France. Though it should be noted that their condition is questionable due to, at a minimum of, 8 years without occupation so they may need refurbishment and updating.

In terms of family members there are only a handful alive, which as I mentioned before, are either in prison or married. Firstly is your father, Sirius Black, who would be Lord if not for illegally being in prison and had accepted the Lord's ring."

"Wait, illegally?" asked James, frowning at the violation of the man's rights.

"I say illegally as he had no trial. As account manager I requested transcripts of the trial to log it so the next heir could take over and on behalf of Arcturus Black, the at the time Head of House Black, who had also requested them. I never got any so I assumed there are none and thus he is illegally in prison. Now, your second family member alive is Bellatrix Lestrange neé Black, who is Sirius' cousin and is also in prison as a legally convicted Death Eater. She was married via contract to Rodolphus Lestrange.. Next is Andromeda Tonks, though she has been cast out for marrying a muggle born and 'brought disgrace on the family'. Sirius was also cast out but his grandfather, the previous Lord Black, who died a few years ago as I mentioned, re-instated him only weeks after Sirius had been cast out by his mother."

"Charming woman" muttered McGonagall sarcastically.

"Indeed, now Andromeda Tonks has a daughter, Nymphadora, who is a metamorphmagus – someone who can change their appearance with out potions or charms" he added at the curious faces looking at him. "And finally there is Madam Tonks' and Madam Lestrange's younger sister Narcissa Malfoy. She is married to Lucius Malfoy by contract, as Bellatrix was to Lestrange, and has a son, Draco Malfoy, who was, until you appeared Heir Black, the presumed Heir as the only male heir of direct Black blood. Now to confirm your Heir-ship please place this ring on your right forefinger" Ripjaw finished as he pushed forward a small open ring case within which lay a ring with the House Black crest on. James picked the ring up and with a final look at his parents, put it on his finger. There was a small flash and he felt the magic surge around him and it felt like he was being judged by the ring before it then resized itself to fit his finger perfectly.

"Excellent, congratulations Heir Black on assuming your position".

* * *

There was then a knock at the door as an elderly goblin poked his head into the room. "Ripjaw, I was asked by Gornuk to come here as an heir has been found for my house" a voice called out as a goblin poked his head into the room.

"Very well, you may join, I just gave the boy the heirship ring of House Black."

"Very good, I am Snaglok, the Account Manager for House McKinnon, and I must say I am quite pleased that someone has come to claim it as it was getting quite boring hehe. I have the McKinnon Heir ring just here, though I'm afraid you can't claim the lordship ring until you are 15 when, as you are the last and only member of the house, you can claim the Lordship" Snaglok explained with an excited glint in his eyes.

"Yes indeed, Heir Black, on that note, I should say that you can only claim the Lordship at 17 unless your father claims it or passes it on straight to you" added Ripjaw. "Why don't you summarise the McKinnon holding while I give a look over the documents here to see if anything needs immediate attention?"

"Oh yes please I suppose I should know my mothers family too. Did you say I'm the only one left?" asked James with a sad tone.

"Indeed Heir McKinnon. First here is the McKinnon ring, wear it with pride and just slip it on now." James did as instructed and slipped it on next to the Black ring, there was a flash of light then the ring resized it self to fit his finger. Then as if acting on his thought of '_I wish it was_ _just one ring __be easier to carry'_ the two rings merged to form a combined heir ring with both crests displayed. "Very nicely done. Right, now, secondly all other family members have either died or were killed in the war. Your mother and grandparents were killed when death eaters attacked your family manor and burnt it mostly to the ground. Your mother and grandparents were still inside. The property itself is damaged but structurally sound. It merely lacks a first and second floor as well as its roof but the ground floor is in reasonable condition though a bit burnt and spell damaged. The grounds are a bit overgrown but otherwise fine. After the attack Gringotts placed it in lockdown until an heir was found. The only other property the McKinnons had was one in Florida which was a summer retreat that was only used occasionally. This, again, is in reasonable condition but likely needs some attention due to disuse for over 10 years" concluded Snaglok.

"I'm guessing they don't have the same wealth as the Blacks then?" asked James.

"Indeed, I would say only a portion of the wealth of the Blacks at a guess since I'm not allowed access to any other accounts. You have approximately 70 million Galleons in liquid assets not including any jewellery or heirlooms. Still quite rich by most standards but not to the degree of the Black, Malfoy, Bones, Greengrass, Longbottom or Potter families. The McKinnons were an old though not as wealthy family but proud."

"Many thanks for managing the account Snaglok, it can't have been easy with no one to manage it for. I'm guessing both of you want investment instructions?" They nodded so James continued, "For the Black accounts, well I've heard that Microsoft is doing well in the muggle world, so is Sony, the studio and tech company, and the various car companies do well, so I guess maybe invest in one of them them? Aston Martin maybe? Disney might be another one to get as its good with kids and films and theme parks. I don't know any magical companies so any advice?"

'_Maybe this wizard won't be so stupid then if he seeks advice' _thought both the goblins before Ripjaw answered. "You can invest in the Daily Prophet, of which you already have 15%, Nimbus Broom Company is making decent sums which is improved by a new release, though you only have 5% in them so you could increase that. You also have a 10% stake in Slug & Jiggers Apothecary The Blacks also have shares in a number of Knockturn Alley shops due to their dark and disreputable nature; in Borgin & Burkes you have a 30% stake and 20% of The Coffin House, which actually doesn't do coffins but deals in dark magic. There are a few others but they are the big ones."

"Well since you say Nimbus is doing well increase share in that to er, 12% and see how it goes? Also buy some shares in some of the other companies in the wizarding world that we don't already though perhaps for now just stick to the nice ones like the shops in Diagon Alley and no more than 10% in any of those so we can test the water and not risk too much. We can always increase if they do well. Is that ok Ripjaw?"

"Yes indeed a sound strategy, though always know if there's no risk there is no reward but as a starting point it is good." Ripjaw said eagerly but with warning. His profits were going to go up he'd make sure of it.

"And for me Heir McKinnon?" asked Snaglok.

"What do we currently have?" asked James curiously.

"5% in the Prophet, 3% in Nimbus, 7% in Scribbulus Writing Instruments, and 9% in Quality Quidditch Supplies. There are a couple of other tiny investment that barely make 1% shares in those places."

"I see, well I guess maybe try increase every thing to 10% for the ones you mentioned by name and then increase to 5% for those tiny investments?" James stated unsurely, looking at his father and the goblin who was scribbling down instructions.

"Yes not bad idea son, get those up to a stronger level then think about new investments though maybe add a couple of our world's companies like a car company or something" advised Mr Peterson.

"Hmm, well I suppose I could add the Rolls Royce and maybe Apple, the tech company, and also British Airways, the air plane company." James didn't really know many companies but had heard that they were good. He saw his father nodding in approval at the companies he'd chosen and guessed they were good as his father read the paper often and that had a financial section to it.

* * *

"Heir Black, I have one more important piece of business to conduct with you. After checking over any documents that needed attention this one caught my eye and is relevant to you. You have clearly fulfilled some conditions so it activated and thus it caught my eye." Ripjaw paused then continued. "It's a marriage contract, and it's active. This means you have to fulfil it or lose your magic and possibly die. The same would happen to your betrothed."

"You can't possibly be talking of marrying him off he's only a young child!" Exclaimed Mrs Peterson, James meanwhile was in shock and paled at the thought of marriage, he was too young for that, '_oh it'__s__ the end of the world, I'm doomed now, marriage?! I can't, I'm a kid they can't force me surely? I'll get some old lady knowing my luck too'_ he thought in panicked misery.

"You're not serious are you about me having to marry, right?" James asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid it's ironclad, you will need to be married by your 17th birthday" replied Ripjaw with a nasty, smile obviously enjoying the young heir squirming at the thought of marriage.

"Who's the lucky lady?" asked Mr Peterson with some mirth, taking some slight pleasure and humour at the appalled and devastated look his son now possessed. He was also concerned that these contracts existed and was quietly worried for his son.

"You, Heir Black, are to marry Heiress Daphne Greengrass. She is the same age as you and will join your year at Hogwarts. Her family are an Ancient and Noble House, a member of the Sacred 28, and also have a stake in many potions businesses. They sit in the Grey or Neutral faction on the Wizengamot. The Blacks sit with the Dark faction while the McKinnons sit with the Light faction" concluded Ripjaw, leaving the Petersons split on enjoying their sons devastated looks while also angry at him being forced to marry.

"Professor, just how common are these contracts?" asked a still angry Mrs Peterson turning to McGonagall.

"Well, they are not that common now I assure you. But the older families like the Blacks do tend to create them, in part to ensure their pure-blood line continues to be pure but also to create alliances and the such like. I believe you'll recall Bellatrix and Narcissa were both mentioned as being contracted out?"

"Er, Mr Ripjaw, how does mine compare to Bellatrix's and Narcissa's contracts?" asked James tentatively.

"Lets see I have copies of their contracts somewhere" said Ripjaw as he opened some draws and ruffled through documents and pieces of parchment. "Ah here we go, oh both together, good, well they were sisters. Lets see, well, all standard so far noting out of the ordinary, basic dowry agreement, number of children to be born, no dishonouring of the families by either partner and oh dear me they didn't? Lord Black wouldn't have allowed it!" he exclaimed angrily as he read through the paragraphs of the document.

"Er did what? And what wouldn't my great grandfather allow?" asked a cautious but curious James.

"The contract for Madam Lestrange has an obedience clause in it, similar to an Imperius curse. It would seem that Cygnus Black, her father, didn't believe that she would be so accepting of the arrangement and forced her into it then made sure she could be controlled by her husband. In fact it seems she signed while under the Imperius curse and was then placed into a loyalty/obedience curse enforced by this contract."

"I always remember her being strong willed and a bit mad, though for a Black that's normal, but not to the degree she became around when she went into Azkaban. She was intelligent and ambitious but not cruel though she could be biting with her words occasionally" added McGonagall with a sad tone.

"What exactly would that clause do?" asked James.

"It would make you obey every order or command given without question by the husband and, to a degree, believe in what he does. She would have had no say about her actions. Indeed being strong willed like the professor here said could have made it worse as she would have resisted the entire time. A weak willed person in comparison would have simply done everything with almost no reaction and likely wouldn't have been as deranged as she was. Her current madness could now be said to be related to her resisting the contract the whole time. Hence why Lord Black, your great grand father, would never have signed off on a contract with that clause in. 'No Black shall be forced to obey another's command, a Black kneels to no one' I believe was a phrase he liked to say."

"I'm guessing my contract does not have that in it? Did Narcissa's?" James asked worriedly.

"No, yours is a simple marriage contract with talk of a dowry, children, and some other business arrangements. The same more or less goes for Madam Malfoy, though it seems they thought about adding that Imperius like clause in as there are notes to indicate they discussed it to ensure Narcissa did not run like Andromeda did. Apparently they saw how deranged Bellatrix was becoming and did not include it since it would ruin the appearance of the family if two daughters went mad.  
"You will, however, need to meet with Lord Greengrass to finalise and update the details of your contract as this was drawn up in the early 1800s from what I can tell. If you want I can arrange a meeting for later in the week so you can do this as we have a number of meeting rooms for hire so I can sort that for you to use" Ripjaw concluded.

"I would also suggest you do so sooner rather than later Mr Peterson, as it would show disrespect to delay" chipped in McGonagall. "Perhaps you should meet Andromeda Tonks first, as not only is she a relative, but her husband is a lawyer and you will not likely have a problem with your parents joining you as you would if you went to the Malfoys" she added.

"Pure-blood supremacist then?" asked Mrs Peterson.

"Yes, Lord Malfoy was rumoured to be in deep with You Know Who and only got off due to pleading the Imperius curse at his trial" McGonagall said with some bitterness, "it also helped that he 'donated' a lot to the Ministry and St Mungos, that's our hospital" she added.

"Bribery?! Just how corrupt is the Ministry? Did the others do the same?" asked James with some shock.

"I don't want to ruin your optimistic view of the world Mr Peterson, but quite a few of those who got off without charge or sentence 'donated' to the Ministry, helped of course by the fact they were mostly from old, rich, pure-blood families. Like I was saying, speak to Andromeda about being a Lord and the etiquette as she will know some of it to get you started. She and her husband will also be useful with the contract with Lord Greengrass."

"I can summon them now if you wish Heir Black, as the Black Account Manager I have that right to do so, they can be here within the hour. You can then discuss what you need before getting your Hogwarts things" said Ripjaw.

After having a quick discussion with his parents James agreed to Ripjaw's suggestion to meet now. With that command Ripjaw wrote on a piece of parchment before saying "A letter has been dispatched. They should be here shortly."

And so while they waited James discussed some of the thing he'd learnt, such as Sirius' illegal imprisonment and what to do about it, with his parents, with McGonagall adding her opinion occasionally. Another topic they discussed was the contracts of Bellatrix and Narcissa and what to do about them. Meanwhile the two goblins hurried about getting the room ready for the meeting and carrying out some of the stock business as requested. They had also sent the required heirship forms to the Ministry saying the positions had been claimed though conveniently forgetting to mention by whom. When he thanked them for doing so, as he didn't want it out just yet who he was, and asked why they replied "Gringotts takes its clients privacy seriously" and that was the end of the matter. Around 45 minutes after the letter was sent there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" shouted Ripjaw.

With that the doors opened and in walked three people.

**AN: And on that note I will end this extremely long and hopefully not too convoluted chapter. Hope you enjoyed the reactions and the information that has been release. J signing off.**


	6. Chapter 6: Meet the Tonks'

**AN: I don't own any of this this is just my imagination in the sandbox created by J.K. who owns it all other than my OCs**

**The Rise of House Black**

**Meet the Tonks'**

With that the doors opened and in walked three people. Or rather two humans and a goblin. In fact one was an older woman appearing around middle age and the other a man about similarly aged accompanied by a goblin who seemed, relative to Ripjaw and Garnuk, fairly young. The woman had light brown hair that frizzed a bit and seemed curled with high elegant cheek bones and kind eyes along with other facial features that would be typical of an aristocrat, the man meanwhile was fair haired and big-bellied and seemed rather jovial though he appeared cautious at present.

"Manager Ripjaw, I have escorted the Tonks' as requested" stated the goblin escort.

"Good, now leave us and return to your duties, time is money" replied Ripjaw.

"You sent for us Manger Ripjaw? I'm surprised because since I was thrown out of the family I have nothing to do with them so I am not sure what matters you could have to discuss with me" the woman stated, clearly unsure as to why she was here.

"Indeed Madam Tonks, I did summon you. There is a new heir of the family who has assumed his place and taken the ring. His position unquestionable and legal. The reason you are here is to tutor him in the etiquette of your people and house as well as, possibly, to act as proxy for him."

"And this heir is?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"May I present to you James Arcturus Black, Heir to Houses Black and McKinnon" Ripjaw answered with a gesture to James.

"Er hi" James said nervously with a slight wave.

"I'm Andromeda Tonks, this is my husband Ted" she said gesturing to the man beside her. "So you're the heir? If I may ask who are your parents?

"These are my mum and dad" James replied pointing to Mr and Mrs Peterson.

"I think she meant biologically son" Mr Peterson said noticing Andromeda give a questioning glance at him and his wife.

"Oh, right, well, er, Sirius is my father and Marlene McKinnon is my mum if that what you wanted to know Mrs Tonks" said James after figuring out what his dad meant.

"Sirius' son?! But you're dead? We went to the funeral along with the Potters as James Potter was your godfather. How can you be here?"

"Apparently a house elf escaped with him and arrived in our garden Mrs Tonks. The elf was badly injured and died minutes after arriving at our home. We took in the boy as no relatives were found and no missing persons were reported" answered Mr Peterson explaining the story of how James arrived at their home.

"You know that Sirius is in prison for murder and betrayal? I say this meaning no disrespect but you will find people dislike already because you are a Black but they will hate you even more for being the son of a traitor. You might not want to go mentioning who you are. Are you addressed as a Black on your Hogwarts letter?" Andromeda said kindly to James.

"No it said J. Peterson."

"In which case I suggest you maintain that role until you feel comfortable telling anyone who you are. You could just say you are a half blood or an adopted pure-blood who doesn't know their family as it happened so long ago. A mix of truth and misdirection."

"And people wonder how she was a Slytherin since she's so nice" said Ted with a chuckle.

"Oh shush you" Andromeda replied with a smile.

"Slytherin?" asked Mrs Peterson.

"A house at Hogwarts known for cunning and ambition. There are four houses and the Blacks have all been in Slytherin bar a handful. Sirius was in Gryffindor known for bravery and chivalry. Typically the Blacks have gone to Ravenclaw when not in Slytherin so Sirius was an outlier. The howler he got from his mother when they found out his house" she shivered, "let's just say be glad none of you heard it."

* * *

"If I may interrupt, can we get back to House business? Now Madam Tonks do you wish to be his Proxy in dealing with all House Black business until he is of age to become Lord Black?" asked Ripjaw.

"Yes I will do so. I will also tutor him in the etiquette needed for a Lord, hopefully he'll take to it better than Nymphadora did which shouldn't be too hard as she mostly didn't bother with it."

"To be fair dear neither do we though you do when the situation demands it" piped up Ted Tonks.

"Good, just sign here then and I'll get our young heir to do the same" replied Ripjaw as he pushed a piece of parchment to the edge of the desk to be signed by Mrs Tonks. She picked it up to read over before quickly passing it to her husband for a second opinion.

At the questioning looks given to her she explained, "Ted is a lawyer and therefore knows contracts inside out. So while I myself read any contract I sign, and I also know the laws fairly well, I usually get Ted to give it a quick look over. I'm a medi witch at St Mungo's so I have a job contract as well as privacy contracts." When she finished she looked over to Ted who nodded and placed it on the desk and with that she picked up the offered quill and signed. She then looked at James and handed the quill to him.

"As heir you need to sign too." So James went over to the desk and signed on the line indicated by the goblin.

"You know lad you should've given it a check over yourself before signing it. We could have colluded with the goblin to rob you if you don't look" Ted said in a gentle but chastising way.

"Oh I didn't really think of that I just assumed it was fine if you all didn't say anything" said James with some embarrassment knowing that the man was right and he probably should have at least glanced at it.

"Oh it was but you should always read a contract yourself" Ted replied.

* * *

"You said you're a lawyer? Could you look into Sirius? Maybe find what was said at the trial or if he had one? We wanted to know so James could put some demons he seems to be having over Sirius to rest about if his father really did do what he was charged with" asked Mr Peterson.

"Mmm, it's doable but I won't lie many will feel he is getting his just desserts and looking into would be damaging, even more so if there is anything fishy about it which you seem to implying. Is there something I should know?" asked Ted.

"I tried to get trial transcripts and proof of sentence for Lord Black so as to log Sirius as charged and tried and imprisoned and us ineligible for Lordship. I never found any. I was either told they're sealed or they're not there, I even got ignored sometimes" Ripjaw answered.

"Well that is definitely fishy and yes I can look into it but it will take time. If you happen to come across proof of what guilt he has you'll need to tell me quickly so I can use it or judged its usability in court" said Ted.

"Madam Tonks" "Please call me Andromeda we are practically cousins" Andromeda interrupted, "I was wondering er what do you know about betrothal documents? I seem to have been found in one and I was kinda hoping you might know a way out. I'm not interested in all that, friends maybe but that is too far. Why would I want marriage, its eww and...and I'd be doomed and stuff, yeah" said James quickly. The adults chuckled knowing that in a few years he would be interested.

"Why you all laughing at me?" James cried with embarrassment.

"Nothing dear just thinking you're being a bit childish is all" answered Mrs Peterson.

"But I am a child and I'm serious I want out, I'd be doomed and stuff surely" he exclaimed

"No your father was Sirius and don't call me Shirley" Mrs Peterson jokingly replied.

"Heir Black, as amusing as it is seeing you protest, these are unbreakable, you have to go through with it or loose your magic" said the goblin sternly though humour glinting in his eyes.

"He's not wrong dear boy, I've seen marriage contracts before and they are usually air tight. Andromeda here only got out for two reasons; one she hadn't signed it herself, and two she had two sisters who could take over. It also helped that she'd ran away and had married me at the time so it couldn't be enforced on her. Thus she got out. You are not married, you have no siblings and so therefore can not escape the contract" explained Ted.

"Who is it with?" asked Andromeda.

"A girl called Daphne Greengrass" Mrs Peterson replied

"A respectable family who lead the grey faction. You have a good choice. They were also neutral in the war so you shouldn't have to worry about taking sides either. I suggest you meet them before you go to Hogwarts so that you know them and have introduced yourself."

"If you are done here then Heir Black I shall escort you to your vaults so you can go buy your Hogwarts things" Ripjaw stated.

"Oh one last thing, could either of you look of Bellatrix's contract and Narcissa's too? There's something not right with either and I wanted your thoughts as well." Ted and Andi shared a curious look and nodded. Ripclaw passed the contracts over to them to read before he stood and headed to the door.

"Coming then Heir Black?" he called.

"Er yes right of course after you then Ripjaw I think we are done for now" James answered after a look at the other adults in the room.

* * *

With that the Tonks' sat down to read the two contacts and agreeing to look into Sirius, agreeing also to not mention who the heir is though admitting there is one who is leading the house, and to also make a list of things a lord needs to know as well as giving their address to send letters to. The rest, bar McGonagall who said she'd wait in the lobby, got into a cart before shooting off at speed turning left then banking right then left again whizzing past other turnings. Occasionally James swore he could have heard a roar or something that looked like flames as the cart careered down the track heading deeper and deeper into the bank's lower levels before they finally came to a sharp halt in front of a vault that looked very old. In fact it had 423 written above the heavy metal door. "Black trust vault" stated Ripjaw as he walked over to the door, barely affected by the ride unlike James' parents who looked a bit unsteady on their feet, and inserted a key. The door groaned before slowly creaking open as though it hadn't been touched in decades. Inside James found a mountain of gold with some silver and bronze coins in separate piles.

"This vault contains 5,000 galleons refilled each year if needed. If you want books and other items they are in the family vault. Until you are of age you can not take anything from the Family vault or until you are Lord. We cancelled the automatic creation of a McKinnon trust vault as you do not need it while already having this one" Ripjaw informed them. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a gold Galleon and twenty-one bronze Knuts to a Sickle."

"How much do I need to the Hogwarts items?" asked James.

"I would recommend taking 100 to 200 Galleons and add in some Knuts and Sickles. Put them in this bag which has a feather-light charm added to it to make it easy to carry" answered the goblin. After taking the amount suggested plus a handful more for luck, they got back in the cart, James received the key and then headed up the long track back up to the lobby to meet Professor McGonagall and start the shopping.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed this rather chapter as I begin writing the next about Diagon Alley. J signing off.**


	7. Chapter 7: Wands, Books and Shopping

**AN: I don't own anything just the OCs as this belongs to JK Rowling. I just use it. Enjoy!**

**Rise of House Black**

**Wands, Books and other shopping**

**May 1991**

The small family met McGonagall in the lobby of the bank and proceeded into the Alley to begin the purchases needed.

"I would suggest a trunk with a few compartments so you can organise books, clothes and anything else" recommended the professor. So with that suggestion they headed to a nearby shop which appeared to sell trunks of various sizes, designs and colours.

"Hello what can I do for you? Looking for a trunk? What sort do you want? Any added charms perhaps?" the jovial salesman said approaching the group as they entered the spacious but cluttered shops. Trunks littered the floor creating paths throughout the shop and were stacked two or three high depending on their size.

"I recommend a 3 or 4 compartment trunk Mr Peterson" suggested McGonagall while also keeping to his adopted name as requested.

"Oh yes a good standard multi-compartment trunk that. Yes so what would you like? I can fit an apartment or a potions lab in there, expensive but doable" said the salesman.

"Oh no I don't need an apartment although that does sound impressive" James said quickly. "I just need a wardrobe section, somewhere for books and maybe one for other items."

"Hmm ah yes I see what you need. Alright how about this; a wardrobe you can walk into to pick what you want to wear, a library for over 100 books, a store room for items such as a broomstick or other equipment you might pick up and finally a store room for potions ingredients. Now does that sound suitable?"

"Mr Peterson that does sound suitable for a school student I would recommend that trunk as you will not need all that space for just school books so you can buy more, a walk in wardrobe keeps your clothes tidy and unwrinkled and you will need to store potions ingredients safely and cleanly somewhere" advised McGonagall.

"Dad what do you think?"

"Well I'd say go for it. Your professor recommends it and it does sound a suitable selection of compartments. How would he access them?" Mr Peterson asked the shop owner.

"He simply opens the trunk, climbs in and goes to the room he wants." replied the shop owner.

"I'm sorry did you say climb in?" asked Mrs Peterson with some confusion.

"Oh yes, all multi-compartment trunks you climb into an entrance room which will have as many doors as compartments. I believe the maddest one sold from this shop was given to Newt Scamander back in the 1920s who wanted dozens of rooms for the creatures he was going to collect and study. Quite a mad design but brilliantly done by my grandfather" explained the store owner proudly.

"Price?" asked James.

"Lets see, well what colour or wood do you want? I make to order mostly though I have some pre-made."

"Ah right well I guess oak maybe as that's quite tough?"

"We do have unbreakable charms we can add so don't think about strength of the wood" interrupted the shop owner.

"I see, sorry didn't know. Well in that case maybe mahogany then, that's nice to look at, then just engrave JAP on the lid or appropriate point. Charms wise I'll have that unbreakable you spoke of, as well as the feather-light and shrinking as I've heard they're useful."

"Indeed they are, any security added? We can make it so only you access it by using your magical signature to open or close and lock it. You'd just tap your wand on it to open or to lock it."

"Yes that definitely sounds useful and I need it reasonably secure if it has my things in."

"Well then we have a 4 compartment trunk with charms, plus security, plus the engraved name. That brings us to a total of 48 Galleons and 11 Sickles please" said the shop owner happily.

With the money handed over he said come back in about an hour and he should have the trunk ready so the family and McGonagall went to the Leaky cauldron for a spot of lunch as it was gone 1 o'clock and they all needed some food and a sit down. During their lunch they discussed some things about Hogwarts and the wizarding world such as the Hogwarts houses, subjects studied and Quidditch. It was not lost on the three Petersons that when Gryffindor, transfiguration and Quidditch came up that McGonagall was particularly enthusiastic. When this was commented on she merely blushed and said she took her House pride seriously. She also spoke of the other teachers that taught at the school so James and his parents knew what to expect.

Once they'd finished their meal and discussion they paid then went back to the trunk shop to collect the finished product.

"Ah yes just finished a few minutes ago, here you are one 4 compartment trunk with charms and security" the sales man said happily pointing at the newly finished and varnished trunk. They collected the trunk, which McGonagall shrank so it could be placed in James' coat pocket, and they left the shop to get the books required from the list. Walking up the moderately busy cobbled street they approached Flourish and Blotts which unlike the street was busier. Approaching the front desk James asked where he could find the first year books and was told the store was separated by topic but the store does do a first year bundle to allow students to get what they need quickly. Agreeing to buy the first year bundle to simplify his task James handed over the 15 Galleons required for the bundle price. Putting them in his trunk after a resizing then shrinking by McGonagall he then looked round the shop to find any books that might interest him. He saw some books about the Ministry and the Wizengamot which he took, another on the Ancient and Noble Houses, before getting another called _Curses and Counter-Curses (Bewitch your Friends and Befuddle your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly Legs, Tongue Tying and much, much more)_. James thought that sounded useful and might be a good way for defence before he learnt anything else, McGonagall seemed to just frown disappointedly though there also appeared to be a slight twinge to the corner of her mouth like she wanted to smile. While he was flicking through the book he felt someone nudge into him so he looked up.

"Oh sorry didn't mean to disturb you, oh you're reading that one, its quite good though basic but a bit fun for those our age" she commented after seeing _Curses and Counter-Curses _in his hand. She had long blonde hair and ice blue eyes with high cheek bones and kind smile. _'__S__he's pretty. Wait!? __W__hy am I thinking that?' _James thought before coming to his senses_._

"Er hi, yeah I thought some of the spells sounded fun and interesting, means I can protect myself if need to but its a school so it should be safe but nice to know anyway. I'm James by the way, nice to meet you, are you going to Hogwarts this year too?"

"I'm Daphne, and yes I'll be a first year. Guessing you are if McGonagall is escorting you?" she replied.

"Yeah my parents are muggles and wanted to come have a look to. This whole Alley is just amazing and er magical haha, sorry pun not intended, though maybe slightly?" James said nervously.

"Funny" she replied in a sarcastic sort of way. She'd also taken a cooler posture to him once he'd said muggle parents James had noticed.

"I was also getting some books on the Wizengamot and the Ministry as well as the Ancient and Noble families".

"Really? I'm surprised you'd bother it's not needed and most muggleborns never bother learning all that." she said surprised and taking a slightly more friendly tone.

"Er yeah it was recommend to me plus I liked history at school so you know when in Rome as they say."

"We aren't in Rome, we're in London?"

"Oh right you haven't heard it, er it's a muggle expression means when in a new country try follow the culture or laws. Heard my parents say it once when we went on a trip to Italy. I've got to go get the rest of the items the letter says to get, so Ive ot to go. It was nice meeting you, maybe we can speak at Hogwarts and you can tell me more about this world.

"Maybe I will then. Try to get _Pureblood Etiquette and customs _by Owen Bones, it's written for the lesser families as they won't always know everything and muggleborns such as yourself. It might be...useful" she said helpfully.

"Oh Miss Greengrass I see you met young Mr Peterson. Do send my regards to your parents and I'll see you in September, come along James we need to get your wand" Professor McGonagall said as she came round the corner holding some books on Transfiguration.

"Greengrass?

"Yes, I am Daphne Greengrass of the Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass. I'm the Heiress and my parents are Lord and Lady Greengrass. You'll see them mentioned in that Ancient and Noble houses book you got. The house not my parents I mean. I'll send your regards Professor and I'll see you in September. By the way I think you should have sent Professor Flitwick professor as he seems to be another Ravenclaw." With that she went further into the shop leaving James slightly confused and intrigued.

"Yes I can see why she'd say Ravenclaw" McGonagall muttered looking at the small collection of books James had picked up after getting the required books.

"That was Daphne? The one I'm" looking around he then whispered "contracted to?"

"Yes she was, I'm surprised you didn't mention it."

"We only talked about books and only said our first names. She seemed...nice" he said after pausing to think of the right word.

"Everything alright Mr Peterson?"

"She seemed cold when I said my parents were muggles yet warmed up after I said I was taking in the culture and reading abut it."

"You'll find that common among the upper levels of pure-blood society. That you are taking an interest in the culture and want to learn it and fit in will give you points with most families. Some like the Blacks and Malfoys could not care less and want you gone. Though obviously in one case that will no longer be correct will it?" She added conspiratorially.

With that they went to the till and paid for their books and left with the Petersons to go to Ollivanders. It was an old shabby looking shop with dust filled windows and in one there appeared a single wand on a purple cushion. The writing above in gold peeling off the woodwork said _Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382BC. Inside_ was just like outside, it was covered in dust, looked old and was a rather narrow shop. All around the store ther weer lots of narrow boxes lining the walls and a bell had rung as they entered the small shop. As James walked up to the desk he felt something all around, there was something in the air, it also had the feel of a library to him as well.

"Good afternoon" said a soft voice from behind him. James jumes at the sudden sound and turned to face who had spoken.

"Hello" James replied nervously.

"Hello, here for a wand I assume? Another first year Minerva? And how is your wand? 91/2 inches, fir and with dragon heartstring."

"Yes Garrick as you well know by now as you tell me many times each year when I bring a first year to you" McGonagal said in exasperation.

Ollivander sighed. "Yes well since you obviously don't want to hear more, lets see if we can match a wand to the wizard after all it is the wand who chooses the wizard. No two wands are the same and every core is from a powerful creature, either hair of unicorn, phoenix tail feather or a dragon's heartstring. Now, which is your wand arm?"

"Erm well I'm right handed so right I guess" James replied and held his arm out. Olivander then sent a measuring tape to measure James from a variety of angles including around his head.

"Ok lets see if this is yours. 113/4 inches, elm and phoenix feather. Quite whippy." James took the offered wand. "Well, give it a wave" so James did as instructed and shatter a lamp in the corner of the room.

"Obviously not" Olivander and he went and got another box from a different wall. "Try this; ebony and unicorn, 81/2 inches and springy". James held the wand and gave it a wave. A dozen boxes flew off the wall crashing to the ground. "No no definitely not. Mmm." This repeated twice more before he then brought out another box. "Try this. Chestnut with unicorn hair, 103/4 inches with unyielding flexibility." Taking this wand and hoping not to bring the shop crashing down on him James waved it and blue and red sparks shot from the end like fireworks. "Excellent another happy match made. That'll be 7 Galleons please." Handing over the money James had a thought that he had no where to put the wand.

"Er Mr Olivander sir is there something to put my want in? It doesn't seem right to just put it in a pocket" he asked nervously.

"Indeed dear fellow, wand holsters are designed for just that mind. They are charmed so your opponent can't summon them unless already out of the holster and allow for quick drawing by flicking your wrist. Here is a dragonhide wand holster. 14 galleons for that if you'd like one."

"It's more than the wand?" asked Mr Peterson

"Yes I am subsidized by the Ministry and I bulk make wands and then match them to the wizard. The holsters I make some but others I bring in from holster makers to sell, thus the higher cost." Explained the old wand maker. James handed over the requested amount and paced it on his arm. He then inserted his new wand into the holster and rolled his sleeve down. The group then trooped out of the shop and back onto the Alley.

From here they decided to get the rest of the items like potions ingredient and telescope. And so they went from shop to shop getting the listed items till all that was left was a suggestion of a pet.

"It is optional but possessing an owl for example allows you to send letters home and perhaps in your case to Gringotts and the Tonks' as well."

"Mum, dad, can I have an owl please?" James begged, he'd always wanted a pet but they'd never got round to getting a dog.

"Very well, but you're looking after it and responsible for it" Mr Peterson said after a short discussion with his wife. The family, plus professor, then went into _Eeylops Owl Emporium_ where after 20 minutes looking around and seeing Tawny owls and Barn owls and many others James finally settled on a Long-Eared Owl. He thought it looked quite wise and authoritative with ear tufts and a mixture of brown, cream and grey feathers with staring orange eyes.

"Yes he looks quite nice doesn't he" said the shop owner. "Only got two of them in stock, rarely have them, that'll be 15 galleon please."

"He comes with the cage right? And a stand?" asked James seeking clarity.

"Cage yes, stand no. Stand will be 6 Galleons 8 Sickles if you want one. Guessing you might want some treats or food too? That'll be 1 Galleon and 9 Sickles please." James handed over the money and gave the owl, in its cage, to his father to carry while placing the treats and stand in his trunk with the help of McGonagall. With their shopping complete a very tired Peterson family and McGonagall returned home with the help the witch via apparition which left them feeling a bit queasy and off balance. McGonagall said her good byes saying "If you need to contact me send an owl to Hogwarts. Here is your ticket for the train. Just got to platform 93/4 and you'll be fine."

"How do you get there?" asked James

"Go to Kings Cross station. Then find the column between 9 and 10, and walk or run through it.

"You mean run at a brick wall?!" He exclaimed.

"Only if its the wrong column. I'll see you in September. Have a good evening." With that she turned on the spot and with a CRACK she disappeared leaving the Petersons to gape at the spot where the witch had stood while an owl hooted in the corner of the room.


	8. Chapter 8: Preparations and Summer

**AN: I don't own anything except the OCs the rest of this magical world belongs to JK**

**The Rise of House Black**

**Preparations and Summer**

**June 1991**

The following week, and the end of year 6 at primary school for James, had passed quickly. He told his friends he wouldn't join them in year 7 at the local secondary as, through his biological family that he'd recently found, a scholarship to a private school in Scotland had been awarded. While he gave no details, other than both had been killed in a terror attack back in the 1980s, he admitted he'd found some distantly related people who had known his parents and that they were the ones who'd informed the school who in turn told him that because his parents had been previous students and that his name had been put forth to the school when born they said he could enrol. "Apparently they had all thought I was killed in the attack but I had wondered off and not been caught up in it and then I'd been adopted so no one knew to look for me" James had said when asked why no one had looked. He had also written to the Tonks', and Andromeda in particular, and they in turn had given him their home phone number so he could call to discuss some of the Houses and etiquette he was reading about in the books.

In another part of the country in a manor set away from any towns deep in the countryside, a man was eating his breakfast while reading the paper. His wife was sitting next to him at the table having a tea and reading a magazine while opposite him one daughter sat opposite eating breakfast herself while another was reading a book opposite her mother. His wife and elder daughter shared the same blonde hair blue eyes while the younger child had inherited his dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

It was a quite morning considering. The Daily Prophet was talking of the latest scandal and the usual rumour mongering of one reporter in particular drew a sneer of disdain. It was all fine on this fine day until a regal eagle owl arrived on the window sill with a letter attach to it leg.

"Daddy and owl has arrived. Is it one of those gobliny ones?" asked the excited younger daughter.

"Yes Tori it is one of the Goblins' owls. Its an eagle owl, it's used for important mail". At this the eagle owl perked up and tried to look more important as it stuck its leg out to have the letter untied. Picking it up and seeing it addressed to Lord Greengrass he knew it must so. His wife and elder daughter continued with what they'd been doing until they heard a sudden splutter and tea shoot across the table followed by a strangled cough.

"Are you alright dear?" Lady Greengrass asked as her husband spluttered and coughed while re-reading the letter.

"Not entirely" he wheezed as a reply. Coughing some more he finally pulled himself together and informed the family of what had been so shocking:

_Dear Lord Greengrass,_

_It has come to our attention that a betrothal contract between your daughter and the Heir Black has been activated due to the meeting of certain conditions. I have looked it over and can inform you that it is ironclad and must be fulfilled or else the loss of magic is involved. The contract itself has left open certain aspects which are to be negotiated and then completed as this was written back in the early 1800s and it allowed for a slight modernising of the terms though still explicit that the eldest daughter would marry the eldest son. To this end we, the Goblins of Gringotts have been asked to provide a room for this to be discussed, paid for by House Black, in approximately 2 days on the 9th June. Please arrive promptly at 11 am as time is money and I am sure you will want this resolved swiftly._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Barnuck, Greengrass Account Manager_

"I think you can see why I reacted the way I did Olivia" Lord Greengrass said slumping back into his seat as his wife looked over the letter too.

"No I wont marry him, he's a spoilt brat, I won't. Draco is obnoxious and arrogant and just...just...awful" screamed the eldest daughter.

"Daphne you have no choice the contract is active and you will loose you magic if you do not. You could even die as many do when they loose their magic. I'm sorry but there appears nothing we can do other maybe negotiate good terms" replied her father with some regret.

"You sure there's no way out dear?" asked Olivia Greengrass.

"Barnuck said it's ironclad so I presume not and we've known him a long time so I don't doubt he means it." At this Daphne burst into tears and ran to her room leaving Astoria to sniffle at seeing her sister so upset and her parents looking uncertain as to how to help. Her father meanwhile wrote back to Gringotts agreeing to attend.

Two days later and a party of 4 arrived at the steps of the bank. They passed the guards at the front and into the lobby where they approached a free teller who sat behind a desk.

"Lord Greengrass and party for a meeting with House Black" said Lord Greengrass.

"Right this way, we've been expecting you" the goblin replied and got down from his desk and led the group down a corridor and to a meeting room. When they entered they saw they were not alone. Another party of 4 sat at the table talking amongst themselves. One of whom Lady Greengrass recognised.

"Andromeda? What are you doing here? I thought you I had been thrown out of your family? I can't believe the Malfoys would invite you to this meeting."

"Hello Olivia, I'm sure you'll be glad to know then that the Malfoys have nothing to do with this meeting" Andromeda replied happily. Daphne meanwhile had taken the chance to look at the boy her age, sitting with presumably his parents._ Is__n't__ that the boy from the shop? But how's he involved surely? Shouldn't Draco be here?_

"James?"

"Hi Daphne, long time no see. Get any good books recently?" He answered back with a slight grin.

"You know him daughter?" asked Lord Greengrass curiously.

"Yes father I met him in Flourish and Blotts about a week ago getting some books for Hogwarts as well as a book on Ancient and Noble Houses as well as on etiquette."

"Sorry sir allow me to introduce myself I'm Heir James Arcturus Peterson, also known as James Arcturus Black. My father is Lord presumptive Sirius Orion Black, my mother was Marlene McKinnon. These are my adoptive parents Steven and Susan Peterson."

"I see now why then the Malfoys are not here and Andromeda is, they wouldn't want you around nor would they want your parents here. You will find while we are a grey or neutral family we treat everyone fairly as long as they deserve it. So shall we get to business then?" Lord Greengrass said. And so the group spent the next hour discussing the terms of it and explaining some of the finer point to both James and his parents, occasionally even to the Greengrass daughters but eventually they came to terms all could agree on even if none liked the situation they were in.

"So I guess I can look forward to two children then?" James said with a mixture of horror while trying to be polite after reading the terms of the contract. Daphne, while trying to remain cool and poised, still had some slight horror in her eyes and face. The adults meanwhile just had amusement on their faces.

"Er Lord Greengrass there is also one other thing that we would like to cover, though it might be two things really" James said nervously.

"No need to be nervous what is it? Greengrass replied kindly but also curious as to what could possibly be brought up now.

"Well the first is that I'd rather my name not be brought up. We are currently trying to hide my existence to a degree so that I am not blamed for stuff Sirius or others of the Back family did. So I just wanted to say if you could refer to me as Mr Peterson or James rather than Black."

"I can see why you'd do that. Have you appointed a Proxy for your Houses then?"

"Yes Andromeda will Proxy both, though I was tempted to find a second to hold one or the other so throw off people."

"Most Slytherin of you, yes you'd do well there. But anyway my suggestion would be yes find a second. Perhaps have Andromeda here hold the Black proxy" - "She's already regent and proxy of House Black" - "In that case get someone to proxy or regent the McKinnon vote, I could do it though the McKinnons were a light family so perhaps go to House Bones or Longbottom."

"What of House Potter? If my father was godfather to Harry could I not ask to Potter proxy or regent to do it?"

"There is no Potter proxy in the Wizengamot. Dumbledore tried to appoint someone but since young Mr Potter is not yet heir, though is heir presumptive, he has not appointed anyone nor been seen since _that_ day and nor has any will be released as the ministry copy from what I can tell was sealed by Dumbledore. In short everything to do with House Potter is frozen and dead until Mr Potter claims his heirship. Which is a shame since House Potter has some weight in the 'mot especially with the added Boy-Who-Lived title so he could do quite a lot." Lord Greengrass said with some disappointment. "If its secrets you wish to keep I suggest you get Andromeda to teach you Occlumency. It will guard your mind against mind reading but also improve your memory. Most heirs and Lords and Ladies learn it to varying degrees to keep House secrets. Myself or Andromeda should be able to help you. Even my daughter Daphne is doing relatively well at it for her age." Daphne looked up and smiled proudly at the words from her father while Andromeda nodded agreement saying it was something James should learn.

"The second topic was I wondered if you could assist my lawyer, Andromeda's husband, in getting a trial for Sirius. It has come to our attention that he never had one and we wish to insure he at least gets one to reveal what happened as much as anything."

"You will struggle with that. The Ministry does not like cases being reopened especially one that is close to the Potter boy. If you had evidence it would be different but you have no new evidence and all you really want is a trial so there is no incentive either way for the Ministry or the DMLE to give one. That said, Madam Bones likely would help if it is true about Sirius getting no trial. I'm sorry Heir Black all I can advice is getting new evidence to prove his innocence or appeal to Madam Bones for a retiral or a new one in this case. The only other suggestion I can think is to ask Mr Potter to ask since it was his parents that were betrayed and Sirius is his godfather" Lord Greengrass said sadly. With that the conversations turned more pleasant as the children talked of Hogwarts and magic while the adults leant about each other more as they would be the in-laws. After that both families said their farewells and departed.

With the contract resolved the final task before Hogwarts was sending the proxy to the Wizengamot. The next meeting, according to Andromeda, was the end of June before a summer break. Andromeda came over to the Peterson's a few times to talk about what should be said and it was decided that she would merely present a form saying she had been given the task by the blood authenticated and Goblin backed Heir of House Black, thus allowing her the seat but also preventing others from opposing it, meaning Malfoy. James wouldn't go as it could risk exposure so he would read about it in the paper. "It's mostly boring legalistic stuff Heir Black you'll be bored of it before 30 minutes is up and it usually sits all day, most days but this is the once a month meeting everyone turns up to" Andromeda explained. Zeus, James' owl, had been getting quite the work out flying to the Greengrass' delivering to Lord Greengrass and Daphne as well as to the Tonks'. James found he quite liked Daphne as they had written about a number of topics and about him learning the etiquette etc and he also liked the Tonks' who were quite friendly. With the book reading and writing to both families James was getting a good understanding of how the magical world operated and knowing some of the theory behind the magic. It came to a head when he wrote and signed the permission and Proxy form for the 'mot which he signed JAB. _Keeps them guessing I guess, wish I didn't have to do all this sneaking around __though__. _And so while Andromeda went off to do her thing at the 'mot James paced around the house nervously. Stopping to give Zeus a pet and a treat before going to his room to read, he then went back to pacing again after only 20 minutes. She came back to the house with a CRACK and James rushed to open the front door.

"How'd it go?"

"Honestly James let the poor woman in and sit before you begin the interrogation" said his mother chidingly.

"It's quite alright Susan I used to get this from Nymphadora when she was younger and she wanted to know how the hospital was or how Ted's day had been. It went well yes James. Malfoy tried to raise a stink as we thought but no one can question a goblin approved and magically accepted heir, which you are since you wear the ring, so he sat down grumpily though I doubt this will be the last we have heard of him since he had staked a lot of his ambitions on getting our House' money so he might be in some financial trouble soon" she finished with a smirk. With the discussions turning to what was debated James was beginning to realize just how much a Lord had to do as well as the responsibilities he now had. _This isn't going to go well _he thought despairingly.

**AN: I'll leave that here as it would have been really long otherwise. Didn't include the Wizengamot scene for the same reason as it would have been too long. Also I wanted to get on with the Hogwarts stuff asap as I'm sure you do. Hope you're enjoying it so far and thanks for the reviews it has been great hearing the comments so far. J signing off**


	9. Chapter 9: Platform 9 3-4

**AN: Don't own anything other than the OCs so that should be obvious as it all belongs to the sandbox created and owned by JK Rowling**

**Rise of House Black**

**Platform 93/4**

**1st September 1991**

The summer flew by for the Petersons and September soon arrived. James felt he was as prepared as he could be for entering a new world and school thanks to the help of Andromeda 'Andi' Tonks and Daphne she he now had an "adequate" grasp of the basic etiquette he would need according to Andromeda. James packed his trunk with al he thought he'd need for school and helped Zeus in to his cage before the family of three piled into the car and drove to Kings Cross since it was easier than taking the underground. Once there they knew exactly where to go thanks to Andi who took James' parents to the right spot the previous week while Nymphadora Tonks, Andi's handful of an Auror-to-be daughter, kept James company and helped him with some spell work without casting. The family thus arrived at the reasonable time of 10:40 with a comfortable amount of time to spare. Indeed the platform was only marginally busy with only the early arriving groups there through a fireplace set into the wall on the right hand side as they faced the scarlet steam train with a number of family groups appearing. Watching with some intrigue the Petersons saw a family of blondes, with their heads held high, step onto the platform from one of the fireplaces with the father holding a cane and having long blonde hair. The son was almost a spitting image of him and possessed a sneering, pale, pointed face with short gelled back blonde hair. Seeing that others were now also arriving stirred the family into heading towards one of the carriages.

"Now, remember son, try to learn what you can and work hard and do try to make a lot of friends. Try not to get into any fights while you're at it and keep your head down. No need to seek out trouble. Take care James". Mr Peterson said with some emotion. His wife however did have some tears.

"You heard your father, work hard and make friends. And do try not to get into too much trouble I don't want to hear about detentions. Now let me look at you. Yes you look quite smart just don't go ruining those clothes. Now give your mother a hug" she finished before bring James into a hug with a quick kiss on his forehead. "Be safe and enjoy the ride." With a sad smile to his parents James picked up Zeus in his cage and his trunk's handle and walked towards the nearby carriage. As he got on he turned and gave a quick wave to his parents before moving down the narrow corridor to find a compartment to go in. As he walked down he found a compartment occupied by two girls; a blonde reading a book and a brunette putting her things away. Seeing that one was Daphne, James nervously knocked on the door before opening it.

"Hi Daphne, is it alright if I sit here? I wanted to sit with someone I know and you're both first years too right?" He asked hoping it would be ok to sit with them since he knew no one else.

"James! It's so good to see you again. I really enjoyed reading about your summer in Portugal, it seemed nice there. Sure, do come take a seat it's just me and Trace currently."

"James, Daphne? Who's this and why haven't I heard of them?" Asked Tracey eager for some new information on her fiend and to know another first year.

"We met in a shop in Diagon Alley and James wrote to say thank you for the help in selecting some books. It went on from there just talking about Hogwarts and our summer" said Daphne sticking close to the truth but omitting the House Black part as requested by James so he could keep a low profile. She didn't particularly like hiding stuff from her friend though she understood why James didn't want the attention that would come from it if it was known he was Sirius' son.

"Oh cool what books were you looking at?"

"Oh just some basic spells and information on the wizarding world like those noble houses of yours, plus some of the etiquette since it might be good to know" James responded as he put Zeus down on the seat next to him. "Allow me introduce myself, I am James Peterson of the non-magical family Peterson and you are?"

"Tracey Davis of the Noble House of Davis pleased to meet you, any who is a friend of Daphne is a friend of me. She has high standards hence the automatic friendship with me" she said with a cheeky grin at Daphne who maturely stuck her tongue out. "And not bad with the etiquette don't you think Daph?"

"Don't call me Daph Trace, please" Daphne replied with some exasperation. "She's right James you did that quite well I see the books and letters helped then?"

"Yeah practised a couple of times with my parents to try and get it right" James answered back happily. With that they helped James store his trunk on the luggage rack above them next to Daphne's and then talked about Hogwarts. During this time James happened to be looking into the corridor in time to see a small boy with jet black hair that seemed rather messy and wearing oversized clothes walk pass while struggling to drag his trunk down the corridor so James opened the door in order to offer a hand.

"You alright there?" he asked.

"Er no could you give me a hand its a bit heavy? Er do you also have a free place in that compartment?" The boy replied nervously.

"Sure we are all first years so we might as well all stick together and get to know one another." With that James grabbed the other end of the trunk with a grunt and helped the boy into their compartment. "Found a stray thought I'd give him a hand with his trunk" James said with a grin.

"He's another first year James not a dog" replied Daphne primly.

"You seem, and I don't mean this badly, a bit scrawny. Did your parents not feed you much?"

"Tracey! That's a bit rude to just say someone's scrawny" said Daphne.

"But its true."

"Sooo not the point its not polite to say it."

"I can go somewhere else if you don't want me" the boy said in a weak sad voice.

"It's fine you can sit here, like I said; all first years should stick together." James said in a tone that brooked no disagreement. And so the boy, with help from James put the trunk in the corner of the compartment out of the way while his own snowy owl sat next to Zeus. "How come you didn't have a feather-light charm on your trunk? Most do so I'm just surprised you don't is all."

"Oh er what is a feather-light charm?"

"It makes items like trunks light to carry regardless of what's in them or they're made of."

"Wished I'd known of that when Hagrid pointed me to this trunk" murmured the boy.

"Indeed, well anyway as you might have guess that there is Tracey Davis, my friend here is Daphne Greengrasss, and I am James Peterson" James introduced while indicating the respective person.

"Oh so I don't count as a friend then, well I know who isn't mine then" Tracey said sarcastically while crossing her arms. James simply stuck his tongue out.

"I've only known you 5 minutes" he answered back.

"Mmm fine I'll let you off, you might be my friend then" she decided.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter" the boy said nervously.

"Merlins beard! You can't be Harry Potter. You're really him?" Tracey said with some excitement "Oh and er yeah sorry about the scrawny comment. I didn't mean it too harshly."

"Er yeah I am, and ok then."

"Harry come sit on the seat and don't be so nervous we're not gonna swamp you or anything we're just surprised is all. I looked over what was said about you and I guess from what the other two know of your family we thought you'd be a bit, er...well….different?" James said while trying to be tactful.

"'Know of my family'?" Harry said with some hope growing in his emerald eyes.

"You don't know anything abut your family" Daphne queried trying to clarify what Harry meant.

"No not really. I know a bit about my mum's side as I live with my aunt and her husband and my cousin. They don't really like me that much and I know my grandparents are dead since I heard Dudley ask once. He's my cousin."

"Harry your fathers family is really old and goes back many generations. You're the heir to an Ancient and Noble family" Daphne explained.

"Whoa, I can almost hear the capitals when you said that" Harry said with a slight laugh and look of wonderment. "Er what does all that mean?"

"It means that once you are 15 you will become a Lord as you are the last member of your family and become the head of House Potter. You'll have to also sit in the Wizengamot and help pass laws and judge people."

"Wizawhat?"

"Wizengamot, and didn't the teacher tell you anything about the wizarding world?" Said James.

"What teacher?"

"The one who delivered your letter? As a muggleborn, or muggle-raised in your case, you should have had a Professor from Hogwarts deliver the letter and give you any explanation as well as give out the introductory leaflet on basic things like Magic, Hogwarts, the Ministry and Wizengamot" informed Daphne.

"Oh er well er my uncle and aunt tried to move away after the first few letters arrived, which they stopped me from seeing, and then eventually this really tall man called Hagrid arrived and gave me the letter. They didn't want me to go" Harry said as he then explained the whole letter fiasco.

"Blimey that's one bit of mayhem, your uncle was really bonkers you know that right?" james jais with some suprise and shock.

"Stupid muggles you can't run away from those letters, the magic just follows the target until it is replied to" Daphne added in a mutter.

"Harry who's Hagrid? I don't remember Professor McGonagall telling me about a professor called Hagrid" asked James.

"Hagrid said he was the keeper of keys and grounds. He didn't really tell me much other than a brief mention of the Ministry and Gringotts. He also told me about Voldemort and my parents" Harry said and noticed that both Tracey and Daphne shivered and squeaked when he said the name.

"Don't say the name Harry, just never say it" Daphne said.

"Why not its just a name?"

"During the war in which your parents died there was apparently some curse on the name. It allowed any who spoke it to be tracked by you know who's followers. People who said the name usually ended up dead mere days later. Many believe the curse is still there" answered James. He then asked "Harry, did you check your finances when you went to Gringotts?" since he knew he'd had to ask before getting to know anything.

"What finances? I have a vault that my parents left me that has some money in."

"That was likely just a trust vault. It's a vault set up by parents to give the heir some money to spend and learn finances without blowing the whole fortune" explained Daphne while the others listened.

"Oh, you think I have more than that one vault then?"

A sudden lurch interrupted the conversation as the train moved forward and departed the station.

"Well we seem to be off then, Hogwarts here we come!" Tracey said excitedly.

"And yes Harry it is very likely you have more than one vault. I don't know why they didn't tell you. When we get to Hogwarts and are settled in write to Gringotts asking about your vaults and your family, maybe ask for a meeting on a weekend and then get your head of house to take you" Daphne suggested

"If you don't mind me asking but how come you seem to know a lot more than these two?" Asked Harry.

"I am the heiress of the Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass I have to know. James is a muggleborn just as you are muggle-raised and Tracey is a second child from a minor house."

"Oh, but even James seems to know a bit more than me"

"I just happened to looked for books to inform me about some of the things I was told by the professor who came to my house and what I had read in the info pack" he answered back with a shrug.

"I didn't really have much time to look at all the books. Hagrid just grabbed the first year set and I barely saw one book which I think was about defence and he stopped me from looking any further. We just hurried from shop to shop."

"You know Potter if I didn't know better I'd almost say someone wanted you ignorant of everything" said Daphne in a suspicious tone.

"Isn't that a bit extreme Daphne, they could have just been really busy or something. Bit of a stretch to cry conspiracy?" James quickly said, seeing a bit of panic on Harry's face.

"Maybe, might just be my inner Slytherin" she said non-committally with a shrug

"Slytherin? You don't seem very bad to me? How could you go there?" Harry asked with some concern.

"Slytherin isn't bad Harry, yes its got a bit of a bad rep at the moment but the house is for the cunning and ambitious. Not all Slytherins are bad." she replied. Harry seemed to calm down at that. "Do you know which house my parents were in?"

"Both were Gryffindors apparently. They ended up being head boy and girl their last year according to my mum, she was friends with your mum or acquaintances, not sure which."

"So they were really intelligent?"

"From what my parents mentioned about yours when I asked mine about you yeah they were high grading students."

"Oh, I hope I'm good enough" Harry said sadly appearing to lack the confidence he could live up to their names.

"Sure you'll do fine Harry just relax and enjoy your school time while trying to learn all you can. "You need it if your going to be a lord" James chipped. They continued talking about different things like Hogwarts, families, the magical world in general and the muggle world. This continued until they were interrupted by a red-headed boy in slightly scruffy and worn clothes who seemed to be going from compartment to compartment. He opened the door and looked at the four kids inside before settling on Harry.

"Cor blimey you're Harry Potter, I'm Ron Weasley pleased to meet you, do you want to come sit with me and leave these slimy snakes alone? You don't want to be caught with any of them. People will think your dark, there's never been a witch nor wizard who didn't go dark in Slytherin. You got the scar too? Let's see it?"

"You know that was rather rude to barge in here. Also you just insulted these two girls who seem quite nice if you ask me." James said rather irritably.

"Come on Harry we should leave the snakes and whoever he is. You should hang out with the light."

"Why would I hang out with a light bulb?" Harry asked confusedly. This caused the other three in the compartment to burst out laughing while Ron looked baffled and eventually angry assuming he'd been insulted.

"Why you little-"

"Mr Weasley, I suggest you go back to your friends, I think Harry is comfortable where he is, aren't you Harry?" Interrupted James.

"Er yeah thanks James. I'm good here, sorry Ron maybe we can talk another time when I'm not busy?" Seeing Ron was going to burst out into more rage fuelled spiel James gave Ron a gentle shove back out through the door before then sliding it shut and then saying "_Colloportus"_ he waved his wand to lock it using one of the grade 1 spells from his charms book.

"Huh what do you know it worked. Thought I'd have to try a few times to get it to work when actually trying to cast it" he said seeing Ron struggle with the door before moving off down the train.

"Merlin he was awful. How dare he tar us with dark wizards and how does he know we are going to be Slytherins, we could be Ravenclaws for all he knows. And then he tries to steal Potter all to himself and bias him against everything, why that little weasel" ranted Tracey going on and on about how unfair and insulting it was.

"Nice joke about light and dark and bulbs Harry" James complimented

"I didn't mean it as a joke I just wondered what light had to do with anything" he replied bashfully.

"Oh that, that's related to how magic is divided into two or three groups depending o your viewpoint; light magic or good spells, dark magic, or evil harmful stuff, or if you believe in a third faction then grey which can be harmful or good spells. Its a bit more than that but that's it simplified. It's similar for families. Some are dark and considered evil by many, some are light and thought good and great, while others like mine are grey and try to balance and compromise the two viewpoints. That's actually how the Wizengamot sits; light, grey, dark. Your family is consider a light family though they have been grey a few times though most forget. A family like the Blacks are considered Dark." informed Daphne in a teachers voice and a quick glance at James.

"Thanks Prof" Tracey says with a smile catching on to the tone Daphne spoke in.

"Thanks Daphne that actually was kinda useful. Maybe I will get a hang of all this lord stuff then" Harry said gratefully. The continued talking while occasionally looking out the window at the passing scenery till there was a knock at the door by an older lady who was pushing a trolley of sweets and other items. James quickly undid his locking of the door and opened it.

"Anything from the trolley dears?" She asked kindly.

"A chocolate frog please and a liquorice wand" said Tracey

"Just a chocolate frog please" added James.

"Er what else is there?" Asked Harry not knowing what anything was.

"Just ask for the chocolate frog as you can collect the cards they come with and maybe Bertie Bott's every-flavour beans. You can try other stuff later" suggested James, who was looking forward to trying a couple of those beans after all he'd heard about it. So Harry did as suggested then promptly lost the frog out the window in its bid for freedom much to the amusement of the other three though he did enjoy reading the card about Merlin while James read about a Fleamont Potter who invented some popular hair potion. As he was reading that there was another knock on the door and it opened to reveal the blonde with slick back hair and a pale face that James saw on the platform escorted by two lumbering beefy boys that when Harry saw reminded him of Dudley.

"Ah Greengrass here you are, why aren't you sitting with the others of higher station than these halfbloods or worse" he said while looking at the other three in disdain.

"I'm sitting with my friends Draco, of course you wouldn't know that as you just have simple minded followers like those two".

"Grabbe and Goyle merely know their place is to serve me and my family, as they should. The others are falling into line too" he retorted imperiously.

"I'm sorry who are you? I was under the impression that when meeting new people you introduced yourself." Asked James

"I am Draco Malfoy, heir to the Noble house of Malfoy. And I don't need to introduce myself to poor and stupid little mudbloods like you."

"You know I'm hearing the insult but I'm not getting it" James replied sarcastically.

"He means that you are a muggle born and of dirty unpure blood" Daphne informed them.

"Oh right and I thought it was meant to be an insult. In that case I'm not gonna introduce myself to an inbred idiot. In fact I'll just call you inbred idiot and you call me mudblood then how's that?" James said back to Draco with some bite. Draco went red with anger and exploded. "How dare you insult a future lord! I'll ruin you and have you obliviated and thrown in the gutter for that filthy mudblood when my father hears about this."

"Fine and I'll beat you at all magic inbred idiot, besides you must be weak if you're running to daddy already" James retorted with a smirk. That drew some smile from the others and a small laugh from Harry which then drew Malfoy's attention to him. "What are you laughing at? With your clothes you're probably a mudblood too. Merlin Greengrass, your family is going to the rats end isn't it, consorting with mudbloods and half-blood freaks. You should join us or you might find you have problems at school."

"Get out inbred idiot and take your trolls with you. Your threats are as pitiful as you. You know she is a fellow ancient and noble family, one of higher standing than you. In fact I think there are two in this room that have higher standing than you and come from far better than families than those that mean 'bad faith'" said James angrily.

"Two, ha, don't make me laugh."

"Yes two, Greengrass and Potter. You just called Harry Potter a mudblood. Well done you've proven you're an inbred idiot" James said smugly while indicating Harry. If Harry thought Malfoy's face couldn't get paler then he was mistaken. Draco when white as snow and started to stutter an apology. Then deciding it was better to retreat, he left the compartment with his lumbering bodyguards following blindly. When the door shut the group burst into laughter though Harry's was more nervous and confused though he was still amused by how quickly Draco had tried to backtrack.

"That was brilliant James, no one has put the peacock down a notch in like forever. I'm so glad we met you, are you glad to Daph?" Tracey exclaimed while still giggling over what had happened.

"It was quite impressive for someone our age. I particularly liked your bad faith joke and for sticking up for me and reminding him of my station in relation to his.

"Was it true my family is er better? than his?" Asked Harry.

"Better is a relative term Harry. If you mean wealthier then that is debatable, you'd need to go to Gringotts to check your statements. If you mean politically powerful then I would say no since Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, is active in the Wizengamot and has the Minister's ear. You could easily eat into that by appointing a regent or proxy and gaining the ministers ear yourself not only as a Potter but also as the boy who lived. However I would say yes better because your family has a long history dating back centuries in this country hence your Ancient and Noble status. Whereas Draco's is French and came over with William the conqueror so you're seen as a native and better stock than Draco as a foreigner despite it being 900 years back they arrived so while rich and powerful that way he isn't Ancient as the family has not earned that right yet. So overall it depends really" Daphne explained.

With that the group settled down making small talk and watching the scenery and those wondering the corridors go by.

"By the way Harry do you perhaps want this card I got as I think its a relative of yours. Could swap if you want" suggested James

"Who'd you get?"

"Fleamont Potter, might be your grandfather or something."

"Oh really, er yeah can swap, I got Merlin."

"Oh him he's quite common as everyone wants him so they made lots" said Tracey. They quickly swapped cards and Harry seemed particularly happy to read about a relative of his. The final disturbance came when a bushy haired girl already in Hogwarts robes opened the door with a nervous round-faced boy standing bit behind.

"Excuse me have any of you seen a toad? Neville here has lost his" she asked.

"Er no, no toads here, have you spoken to a teacher?" Replied Harry as the first to speak and recover from the unexpected interruption.

"There aren't any on the train they wait for us at Hogwarts, it says so in Hogwarts: a History"

"A prefect then" Daphne said. "And its rude to just barge in to compartment without knocking or introducing yourself. The girl blushed with embarrassment

"Oh sorry I was just trying to help. I'm Hermione Granger and this is Neville Longbottom" she said indicating herself and the boy.

"I'm Daphne Greengrass. Heir Longbottom it is good to see you enjoying the journey?"

"Er yes thanks, nice to see you Heiress Greengrass" he replied still nervous.

"I'm Tracey Davis."

"I'm James Peterson."

"Hi, I'm Harry Potter."

"Are you really? I've read all about you in _Modern Magical History _and _The __Rise__ and Fall of the Dark Arts._ You even have your own children's book series which seemed quite fantastical which is saying something given we are in a magical world which is by some definition fantastical. She said quickly leaving Harry shrinking into his seat in embarrassment about having books about him and the others staring at the girl that she spoke so quickly and saying so much.

"I am? I mean I gathered that people knew of me as Hagrid said I survived You Know Who when no one else did but I didn't know they had books about me."

"Yes they did from what the book seller said those Harry Potter books are really popular. As well from what I read you are the most famous person alive in Britain. I think only Dumbledore or Gilderoy Lockhart come close. Anyway we seem to be getting close to arriving soon so you better change into your robes. See you inside and thanks for the advice, we'll check a prefect, bye." Hermione then left the compartment and Neville murmured a good bye and followed her to find a prefect leaving the four alone once again.

"Well she seemed alright, bit of a know it all maybe or teacher's pet but nice. Neville just seemed shy" Tracey said.

"Maybe you could teach her some things about being a witch and fitting in? I could try help Neville he seems like someone I should know especially for a wizards role in society" James suggested. "You could probably do the same for me and Harry, if you'd like to know some things of course Harry" he added.

"Er yeah that would be great. Maybe you can tell me more about my family too."

"I suppose I could lower myself to help you idiots" Daphne answered.

"Aww Daph don't be such a misery guts, James is your friend and Harry needs to know some stuff too." Tracey complained.

"Oh fine then I suppose I can help you two. Maybe the girl too if she asks nicely. Now since she seems to right that we are close why don't you two boys leave so we can change?" So the two boys left the compartment and wait in the corridor talking and watching the sun set in the distance. When the girls were ready they swapped and the boys changed inside. Once done they all got their things together when they felt the train starting to slow to a stop at the station.

**AN: Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I think I got the feel for the various characters that were introduced this time tough drop a comment if you feel they need a slight change to fit better. Also I'm not going to do bashing per se. I always felt Ron was a bit of a git and while well meaning just had terrible manners and jealousy issues etc, while Draco was a pompous idiot who went to his dad for everything. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and see you next time. J signing off**


	10. Chapter 10: Hogwarts and the Sorting

**AN: Don't own anything other than the OCs and my take on the sandbox created by JK Rowling**

**Rise of House Black**

**Hogwarts and the Sorting**

**1st September 1991**

"Firs' years! Firs' years! Firs' years this way" came a booming voice as James, Harry, Daphne and Tracey hurried out of the train. Seeing the way they are suppose to go the foursome headed off towards the giant of a man standing to one side of the platform letting returning students pass to get carriages that seeming pulled themselves.

"Firs' years over here! Hey there Harry you doing ok?" said the giant. Harry nodded while James looked up at the man who had a big bushy beard and long shaggy mane of hair.

"Hey Hagrid, yeah I made some friends on the train" harry replied then began to introduce his new friends.

"Nice to meet you all, I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Ground at Hogwarts. I escort all the first years to the castle." he said cheerfully and then shouted again to the platform "firs' years over here! Right think I've got everyone, this way after me!" And he turned and followed a dark path through some woods down to a great black lake. "No more'n four to a boat! Four I said not five! Mind yer step." The group of first years hurried into the boats keeping to the four person limit with James, Harry, Daphne and Tracey sharing a boat. Beside them in another boat was the Hermione and Neville along with Ron and another boy.

"Right then everyone, FORWARD!" Hagrid yelled and the boats began to move out on to the still lake. Turning a corner a view none would ever forget entered eyesight. A massive castle with multiple towers and turrets perched on a hilltop that overlooked the lake with lights flickering in all the various widows. "Ooooh" collectivity the soon-to-be first years gasped. '_Its magnificent'_ James thought and he could see Harry next to him thought the same if not more emotionally for some reason. Heading towards a cliff-face covered in ivy Hagrid yelled "HEADS DOWN!" and as everyone ducked they passed though the curtain of ivy which covered a cave entrance which led into the hill and under the castle. They docked at a boat area and clambered out making their way up a stone path that to a huge oak front door. Hagrid opened the door and they came into an entrance Hall with another set of great oak doors and corridors leading to other parts of the castle and a set of marble stairs. Standing in the entrance hall was none other than Professor McGonagall wearing emerald robes and possessing a stern face.

"First years Professor Professor McGonagall" Hagrid said respectfully.

"Thank you Hagrid I will take it from here." She then approached the students while Hagrid wondered off. "The start of term banquet will soon begin but first you must be sorted into your houses. The sorting is important as these house will be like you family, triumphs will earn you points while any rule breaking will loose you points. At the end of the year the house with the most points wins the house cup. These houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has a noble history and I'm sure you will all do well where you are sorted. Now I suggest you smarten yourselves up and I will return when we are ready to proceed." As she finished she looked at Ron who had a dark smudge on his nose and Neville whose cloak seemed improperly fastened then walked through the door into the hall behind her and closed it.

"How are we sorted?" Harry asked James.

"Not sure mate, apparently its kept secret as part of tradition. Daphne any ideas?"

"My parents refused to say anything other than you'll do fine. Which isn't actually helpful at all" she replied disappointedly.

"Well sounds like it shouldn't be too bad Harry just relax. I'm trying to but it doesn't help not know to be honest" said James trying to calm a nervous Harry. While trying to relax his nervous friends someone at he back of the group of first years screamed and as one everyone jumped and then turned just in time to see a dozen or so ghosts pass them by and they seemed to be arguing over someone as one, a friar by the looks over it, was arguing to forgive and forget while another said they'd given someone called Peeves to many chances. "Move along now, we're ready to begin" a sharp voice said, cutting through the murmurings and talking of the ghosts and students. Professor McGonagall had returned. "Now form a line and follow me into the Great Hall". Once everyone had lined up and shuffled into position she turned, opened the doors wide and into the hall they trooped. On either side of them sat two long tables for the four houses in total with students lining the whole table bar the end near the teachers, who sat up on a raised table facing the students. Looking around James and Harry walked in wonder at the candles floating in mid air above the tables and gargoyles sticking out of the walls holding torches with a large fireplace to the right midway down the hall. The ceiling however was unlike either the boys had seen before. There above them was a perfect replica of the night sky. "It's bewitched to look like the night sky outside, I read about it in _Hogwarts: A History"_ a voice that sounded like Granger's said from somewhere behind them. McGonagall led the students to just in front of the teachers table where a four legged stool stood with a pointed wizards hat sitting on it. It then, to the surprise of the first years, began to move about and sit upright and then it began to sing:

_"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_if you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folks use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The hall burst into applause while the first years just stood open mouthed in shock as the hat then bowed to each of the four tables.

"When I call your name you will step forth, I will put the hat on your head and it will sort you" McGonagall said sternly. "Abbot, Hannah." At that a blonde girl with pigtails stepped forth nervously to sit on the chair with McGonagall placing the hat on her head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat cried after a few moments to the cheers of the Hufflepuff table.

"Bones, Susan" and another girl with light brown hair done in a plait took her place on the stool.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat repeated and Susan went off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry" and a boy went up to be sorted.

"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat.

After this James lost track of the names till "Davis, Tracey". Tracey stepped fort and sat on the seat while McGonagall to put the hat on her head. After a minute or two the hat finally shouted "Ravenclaw!". He noticed that Daphne seemed a bit surprised at this, clearly thinking she was going elsewhere. The sorting continued with Granger going to Gryffindor and then "Greengrass, Daphne". Daphne too took a few minutes before the hat yelled "RAVENCLAW!" James clapped for her along with the Ravenclaw table and she sat next to Tracey. '_Huh thought she'd go into Slytherin, maybe the argument with Draco put her off?' _James pondered. The next one James focused on was Draco's. He barely had the hat on his head before it cried "SLYTHERIN!" James paid more attention as he knew he was up soon. "Parkinson...Patil...Patil...Perks" and then "Peterson, James". James nervously stepped up to the chair and McGonagall gave him an encouraging smile and placed the hat on his head.

'_Interesting, interesting, a good mind yes, a desire to rebuild the Black family the right way oh yes that would make young Sirius laugh. You can be cunning and you have ambition so Slytherin would do but I sense a reticence to go there?'_

'_My friends went to Ravenclaw and I don't like having to do __the lying and__ sneaking around, plus I'm suppose to be a muggleborn not a pure-blood so Slytherin would hate me'_ James thought to the hat.

'_Indeed, well argued yes you will do well in'_ "RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted aloud. James took the hat off and passed it to McGonagall and headed down to sit by Daphne and Tracey to the applause of the 'Claws.

"Potter, Harry" and the room went quiet with murmuring buzzing around the hall. James saw Harry walk slowly up and sit on the stool. The hat sat on his head for quite a while,

"Here's there longer than you were James" Daphne whispered.

"To be fair I had some things to talk abut. It almost put me in Slytherin."

"Same, me and Tracey argued against Slytherin since I knew you wouldn't go there plus after the encounter with Draco we decided against. Ravenclaw was the next acceptable house" she said.

After a few more minutes of no decision the murmuring grew even the teachers were looking intrigued by what was happening. Eventually it seemed the hate came to a decision as Harry seemed to relax. "RAVENCLAW!" the hall was silent for a second at the unexpected result. Then the ravens broke out into cheers while a pair of red headed twins on the Gryffindor table seemed to say "We didn't get Potter?" Harry hurried down the table towards James and his friends and sat down with a heavy sigh.

"You took your time Potter" commented Tracey.

"Yeah, the hat was split between three houses. Apparently I had the urge to know stuff about the magical world and my family as well as know thing to help being a lord, the bravery and sense of chivalry for a Gryffindor as well as the cunning and ambition to do well in Slytherin. Obviously the last one was impossible given Draco and, well, I'm still hesitant about them being evil, I know what you said but some of them give me the shivers to look at. And Ravenclaw seemed next best cos I don't like running straight into things like the stereotype of a Gryffindor. So yeah here I am" he concluded.

"It's good to have you here Potter" said a Ravenclaw prefect as the sorting reached its end with Weasley taking his spot to be sorted and then quickly being sent to Gryffindor. With the conclusion of the ceremony McGonagall picked up the stool and hat and took it out the hall. Then an old man with a long white beard and half moon glasses with twinkling eyes stood and the hall feel silent, "Welcome, Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. To new students welcome and I hope you enjoy your time here at Hogwarts, to returning students welcome back. Now before few begin our banquet just a few words for you. Nitwick! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you now enjoy" Then he sat down to a round of applause. James looked confusedly at his friends and saw similar looks. "Is he – a bit mad?" James heard Harry ask the prefect.

"Mad? Yes well maybe a bit but Dumbledore's one of the greatest wizards in the world so yes possibly. Potatoes?" That was when both James and Harry saw the scrumptious feast that lay before them that Tracey and Daphne were already selecting dishes to sample. Talking to their fellow first years they got an idea of who they'd be living with; Terry Boot, Mandy Brocklehurst, Padma Patil, Lisa Turpin, Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, Sue Li and Lisa Turpin so it seemed they got the largest number of first years this year. They talked about the food and their backgrounds. It was when Harry was looking up at the table that James noticed he seemed to wince. "You alright Harry?"

"Yeah fine" he said through gritted teeth. "Who's that next to professor Quirrell?"

"Which ones Quirrell?" asked James.

"Turban."

"Oh you mean Professor Snape, he's sitting next to Professor Quirrell. Snape teaches potions but everyone knows he wants Quirrell's job in DADA" informed a female prefect who introduced herself as Penelope Clearwater.

In all everyone seemed friendly enough thought James but only time would tell. However all good things must end and so when everyone had finished dessert the foods vanished. Dumbledore then stood and the hall quietened. "Ahem – now we are all fed and watered just a few start of term notices. Firstly to all first years; the forbidden forest is, as you may have guessed, forbidden and a few older students" he paused to look at the grinning red-headed twins "would do well to remember this as well. Secondly I have been asked by Mr Filch, our caretaker" indicating a grumpy old man with a cat standing to one side, "has asked me to remind you that no magic is allowed between classes in the corridors and that a number of banned items have been added to the list outside his office. Also quidditch trials will begin the second week of term. And finally, I must ask each and everyone of you to leave the third floor corridor on the right hand side well alone as it is out of bounds for those who don't wish to die a most painful death, thank you".

"He can't be serious, surely?" said Harry.

"He's Dumbledore Harry, there's a prisoner in Azkaban that's called Sirius. And don't call me Shirley. And yes I think he was quite serious." A few students giggled at James' name jokes while others looked at him confusedly.

"Funny James" Harry said sarcastically "and there's really a prisoner called Sirius like the star? How'd you know that?".

"Read it in an old copy of the Daily Prophet when I was looking back over this world's recent history, especially in 1980-81, actually he's kinda involved with you and your parents. I'll tell you more another time, its a bit late." Penelope meanwhile looked concerned though.

"He never told us about this earlier, usually prefects are told about this beforehand and given a reason we can tell people, like the forbidden forest for example which has dangerous beasts in it" she muttered to anyone who listen.

"Now bed time, pip-pip" Dumbledore said. With that students started filing out the Great Hall with the prefects leading the first year Ravenclaws out to the west side of the castle and towards a very tall tower. In the tower they walked up a tight spiral staircase and came to a door with a bronze eagle shaped knocker.

"I drape the hill in gentle white and from the heavens I will glide. What am I?" The eagle head said. "To get into our common room you must answer a riddle, unlike the others who have a password" explained the male prefect Robert Hilliard. "The answer is snow"

"Well reasoned" the eagle head replied and the door swung inwards to reveal a wide circular room with arched windows and a painted ceiling done like the night sky. Bookcases, tables and chairs litter the room and a statue of a woman stood in an alcove near a door on the other side of the room. The first years gathered in the centre of the room with the prefects stepping up to address them.

"Welcome to Ravenclaw, the house of intellect, the wise and wit. We have good relations with all houses though Slytherin can be tricky sometimes. We encourage debate and seeking knowledge so if you wish to learn something different I'm sure someone can help you find a topic to interest you. If you need help with any topics or homework feel free to ask any older student and I'm sure they will be able to help you. Failing that our head of house, Professor Filius Flitwick, can probably assist you instead" finished Hilliard.

"Your trunks have already been taken to your rooms by the house elves and you will find the first year dorms on the first floor up the stairs through the door by the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw. Girls to the left and boys to the right. If you need anything do feel free to ask the prefects. You will be given your timetables in the morning with breakfast by Professor Flitwick. Be down here at 7:30 and we will escort you back to the Great Hal for breakfast. Lesson should start at 9. Good night everyone and see you in the morning" Penelope finished happily.

With that the first years trooped up to the first landing with two doors at either end and went their separate ways with Harry and James waving goodbye to Daphne and Tracey. Heading into their dorms the boys saw their trunks placed in front of five beds. Getting changed and ready for bed they quickly got into bed and after a long exciting day fell asleep quickly.

**AN: Well I hope everyone enjoyed it and felt the house selection for James, Harry and co were believable. My thinking is that Harry would want to know more about everything and work harder knowing he is soon to be lord and is more important than just that BHL name and that applies to both boys. The two girls wouldn't want to be with Malfoy after the train incident plus Daphne being betrothed to James she'd want to be more accessible so to speak to James regularly. Hope you enjoyed, J signing off.**


	11. Chapter 11: First Lessons

**AN: Don't own anything bar the OCs, so read and enjoy**

**Rise of House Black**

**First Lessons**

**Monday 2nd September 1991**

James woke to the warm comfy bed and blinked blearily as he took in the room he'd slept in. The beds were four post beds with blue and bronze patterned curtains with the walls of a similar colour. He saw that Harry had taken the bed next to him near the window while on his right slept Terry, Michael and Anthony. '_Seems I'm a buffer for Harry, can't blame him with that boy who lived malarkey'_ thought James as he went to the showers noticing that Harry was already dressed but sitting on his bed.

"You woke early"

"Er yeah I'm used to it with my...relatives" Harry replied with some cautiousness. James shrugged and went to have his shower before then getting dressed for the day and heading to the common room.

"Seems we're both early, no one is up yet" James commented upon seeing the common room was empty. Harry had walked over towards one of the book helves looking at the book spines.

"Looking for something?"

"Just seeing what there is, this one might be good for me" Harry said picking up a heavy thick book. It was old and moderately worn and James caught the name of the cover as Harry opened it; _Ancient and Noble Families and Their Histories by Bathilda Bagshot and Owen Bones_. Harry flicked through to 'P' to find his family name while James made a note to check the name 'Black' when he had a chance. There came a sound from Harry and James realised he was sniffling.

"You ok there Harry?" James asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah, it's just I...I never knew anything about my family and...and this has their whole tale right here" he replied with slightly teary eyes.

"That won't tell you everything Potter, you'd find more in your family Grimoire which will either be in your family vault or manor house" said a calm voice behind the two boys. Daphne and Tracey stood in the doorway having just come down from their dorms. Both impeccably dressed in their school robes as they walked over to join Harry and James.

"Grimoire?

"Family book that's blood locked to that family containing its history, secrets and family spells that only that family know" Daphne explained.

"Wish I could get that, sounds like it would explain so much I should know. Family vault you say? Hmm, oh that reminds me to write to Gringotts to see if I have any other vaults" so Harry grabbed some parchment that was lying on the table and grabbed a spare quill and ink pot that was also set aside at a desk and wrote a letter:

_Dear Gringotts,_

_My name is Harry Potter and I am writing to ask about what vaults I might have and if I could meet with someone to discuss these to find out more about my family and their belongings._

_Many thanks,_

_Harry James Potter_

SCREECH and the kids looked up and saw Hedwig, Harry's snowy owl fly through an open window and land in front then presenting her leg to accept the letter.

"Well aren't you a smart owl" Tracey said and the owl preened. "Intelligent too by the looks of it if she understands us" SQUAWK.

"Here Hedwig, take this to Gringotts" and he attached the letter to the owl's leg and with that she flew out the window on her journey to deliver her master's letter.

The others meanwhile continued to talk until Penelope came down and escorted them to the Great Hall while Robert Hilliard waited for the other first years. Arriving at the Ravenclaw table after a long and winding trip through various corridors wandering they sat at the table and began to pick out their breakfast.

"James, what was that you said about Sirius and my parents?" Harry asked as he began to eat some cereal.

"Firstly what do you know about that day and stuff?"

"Just that Voldemort" the girls flinched and squeaked at the name, "found them and murdered my parents before trying to do the same for me."

"That's more or less right but according to the papers, which I admit is usually a bad idea since you should always take what they say with a pinch of salt, your parents and you were in hiding and their location was revealed by Sirius Black who then killed another friend of your parents as well as 12 muggles."

"How did he know their location? I mean if he was the enemy why'd they tell him?"

"Apparently he was a close friend of your father and he was told because he was something called the secret keeper. Basically you hide a place or people under this charm so no one remembers who or where they are except the secret keeper who then can tell people and they can only do so freely without coercion and without their mind being read. Sirius was the secret keeper according to the paper" James explained. He could see Harry gripping the cutlery tightly turning his knuckles white and feel Harry's magic building in anger.

"How could he! He was their friend and he betrayed them! He was their friend" and Harry broke into tears. Thankfully there was hardly anyone around due to being fairly early so no one saw or heard anything, aided by the fact they were at the far end near the teachers table and no teachers were down yet.

"Hey mate I'm sorry, I didn't really want to tell you about it right now and here but I did feel you ought to know."

"Y-Yeah I know sorry to getting angry" Harry said a bit sheepishly after finally calming down and picking at his breakfast again.

"I can't blame you Potter, you have a right to be angry at someone who betrayed your family" Daphne said sympathetically.

"He's in prison right? So he had a trial? Did he say why? I wan to him rot in hell but I'd still like to know why he betrayed us."

"In the papers they say it was his coming out as a death eater job but it's also written a few years earlier he go chucked out of his family and lived with your father and Black family were renown for being, er, dark. Not evil per se, but knowing more dark magic than perhaps people should so the papers painted them and other like-minded families as evil. It doesn't help that Sirius' brother was a death eater as was his cousin and his parents and aunt and uncle both supported the cause. Many assume he was trying to get back in with them."

"And what did he actually say at is trial?" Harry asks bitterly.

"They don't. There's no mention of a trial, just that he was sent to Azkaban" James says sadly.

"Wait no trial? I hate the guy but even throwing him in jail without trial seems odd."

"Can't help you much mate as no record of one seems to exist."

"Wait your sure? That's totally illegal, he's a pureblood from one of the sacred 28 and was at one point the heir of said family" Daphne said passionately clearly annoyed that such an infraction had occurred.

"Yep" James said popping the p. "The Prophet makes no mention of one for him whereas they talk about three Lestranges, a Lucius Malfoy and an Igor Karkaroff among others. No mention of a Sirius Black."

"You seem to know an awful lot about Black, Peterson" Tracey said suspiciously.

"I only know cos I was looking up Harry's story 'cos I thought it was interesting and too see what people knew and Black is involved, plus I too wanted to know why he'd betray his friends so totally. It just seemed so weird is all" James replied nonchalantly while trying to keep his secret longer till he knew both Harry and Tracey better.

"He's not wrong, it is weird that Sirius would betray his friends and that there was no trial" Daphne said in order to draw attention off James for a moment. "Potter...Harry, you could write to the head of the DMLE and ask for trial transcripts or indeed a trial if it turns out there was none. Perhaps also set a house regent or proxy for the Wizengamot to manage your affairs while you are at Hogwarts. You could possibly do that when meeting with whoever it is at Gringotts you eventually meet thus kill two birds with one stone."

"Yeah could do. So, er, what lessons do you thank we'll have today?" Everyone saw Harry's blatant topic change but given the hall was filling up allowed it.

"Ah my young first years good to meet you, I'm Filius Flitwick and I'm your head of house." Came a high pitched cheery voice from behind them. They turned to see a man, or perhaps half a man as he was almost the height of a first year, before them wearing duelling robes and looking incredibly chipper. "Mr Potter its a real pleasure to have you here as your mother was a real charms prodigy and I like to consider her a friend after she left Hogwarts, almost had her as an apprentice to do her masters but she had you and then went into hiding. Such a shame such talent was cut short" he sighed. "Well anyway, here's your timetables. If you need anything do let me know. Enjoy your classes and earn us some points. I have a good feeling about this year." With that he walked off to greet the other ravens after handing James and his friends their timetables.

"So what's first?" James asked.

"Potions followed by Charms, lunch, History and finish with DADA" Tracey said.

"Huh, not too bad a day then" James replied happily as he gulped down the last of his pumpkin juice. When the group finished and talked some more about their classes they left their long table and followed the other first year Ravenclaws to Potions down in the dark and cold dungeons.

-Harry POV-

As they walked down through the castle to potions Harry thought back on the last few days. Oh how everything had changed. He'd made new friends who seemed nice and actually explained things to him rather than assuming he knew stuff. He partly wished he didn't have this lordship thing as it was just another title to go with boy-who-lived but at least he knew of it and could do something about it and in a way he'd earned it since it was a family thing rather than his other title which he doubted he got and rather that his parents did something. Plus it might help get him away from the Dursleys if he owned a mansion or two, much better than a rickety old bed in Dudley's second bedroom with his old toys there, yes much better than an old bed and small room Harry thought. His happy thoughts came to and end when they got to the dungeons. As the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students entered the room and took their seats Harry sat next to James with Daphne and Tracey sitting next to them. Then Professor Snape walked passed with his cloak billowing behind him.

"There will be no foolish wand-waving in this class. Sit down and listen. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach then you might get somewhere in this subject" Snape said in a soft voice that everyone heard and which kept everyone silent. Harry had thought about writing down some of what Snap had said but decided against as no one else seemed to be nor did he get the impression he was meant to so he just listened. Snape then began a roll call but paused when he got to Harry's name. "Ah yes Mr Potter our new celebrity" he said with a sneer. He continued on to finish the call then returned to Harry. "Tell me Potter what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

'_Asphodel and wormwood? What do you get? I'm sure it said in that potions book, was it some sleeping potion?' "_Er, I think it was a sleeping potion sir" Harry answered uncertainly. He noticed that only a couple of Ravenclaws and one Hufflepuff nodded along in agreement. Snape's lips curled in displeasure.

"Didn't read the book did we Potter? Tut tut, clearly fame isn't everything. It _is _a sleeping potion called draught of the living death. Lets try again Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

'_Bezoar? The book said its an antidote so surely it be in the room?' _"Well its an antidote sir to most things so wouldn't it be here?"

"5 points from Ravenclaw for your cheek. Yes Potter there is one here as all good labs would have one. I wanted to know where you'd get one from. The stomach of a goat is the answer. Dunderheads the lot of you. Last one Potter what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"I don't know sir" Harry answered though he saw Padma Patil raise her hand nervously.

"Hand down girl I asked Potter. For your information there is no difference and they are known as aconite. Well? Why aren't you all writing these answers down?" The class hurried to get parchment to write the answers down then once that was done Snape then waved his wand at the chalk board and a set of instructions appeared. "You will follow these instructions on the cure for boils. You have 1 hour. Begin." The class then went to collect their ingredients and in their pairs worked on the potions following the instructions. Snape meanwhile stalked the room looking over everyone's shoulder while they worked criticising them and while offering no tips to improve it. Harry meanwhile crushed the snake fangs and added it to the potion trying to keep it the required colour when there was a bang and everyone looked to see a Hufflepuff boy cry out and fall to the floor as his cauldron overflowed onto the table catching his hand as it bubbled. "Stupid boy did you not turn the heat down when instructed? Dunderhead, go to the infirmary. You, take his things and help him" he sneered as he vanished the potion and stalked around the room. "Get back to work you have 20 minutes left". The class finished quickly after that with Harry and James bottling their brew and placing it in the glass test tube for marking. Snape particularly sneered when they brought theirs up. '_Why does he hate me so much? I've never met the man before' _Harry pondered sadly.

"So did everyone enjoy that as much as me?" James said sarcastically as they trooped up towards the charms class.

"Oh no it was much better than that it was brilliant" Tracey replied in an equally sarcastic tone. "You know Harry he really didn't like you for some reason."

"Yeah I don't know why. Never met the man before today" Harry answered Tracey with a sigh.

"We've got Flitwick next maybe you can ask him after class or at least say he singled you out too much?" Daphne suggested. Harry hummed non-committally and followed his friends to charms with their Head of House. When they arrived at charms with the Hufflepuffs they entered the large room and sat in a semi-circle surrounding Flitwick's stand. Again when Harry's name was called in the register attention drew to him and the Professor squeaked and fell off his stack of books. They then proceeded into the lesson about the _Lumos_ spell. In all a very different morning to that expected by the four 'claws. Harry did approach his head of house after the lesson and nly got a "Yes sorry about Severus Mr Potter, he's like that with everyone. He is also probably still bitter about your father and mother. Sorry can't really say any more. Private you know. I'll try have a word for him to ease up a little but don't expect much."

After lunch they had history which turned out to be not as interesting as it could e as the professor was a ghost who just droned on and on in a monotone voice that literally drove the students to sleep. Only a handful managed to stay awake and that was by either taking notes or reading a book. In all a very boring lesson that Harry wished was more interesting as he had read up on DADA instead since that was next and sounded fun. Needless to say, it too turned into a disappointment for all four 'claws as they found Professor Quirrell stuttered so much they couldn't follow him easily and the smell of garlic was incredibly pugnant and stifling. Everyone said it was to do with a vampire he had met in Romania though given his constitution that might be a generous answer to why there was all the garlic. Harry also got the occasional headache when Quirrell's head was turned which did not help his concentration. In all for a first day it was turning out to be fairly bad except for charms. When they arrived for dinner the four found Hedwig sitting at their spot with a letter attached to her claw. Harry quickly took it off her and few her some food that had appeared in front of them as they sat down. "That's the Gringotts' seal, they replied to your letter it seems, quickly too" Daphne said seeing the wax seal on the rolled envelope. Harry broke the seal and began to read.

_Dear Heir Potter,_

_It is about time you wrote and acknowledge us, it is a disgrace that you have not answered any of your previous mail and acknowledged your bank reports. It is however disturbing that you appear to have no knowledge of your vaults or the letters we sent. Come to us on Saturday 7th at 10 am sharp and we will sort this mess out. You are needed to organise your finances as you will soon be lacking access to your wealth._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Ripgrip, _

_Account Manager of House Potter_

"Well, isn't that interesting" Harry said as he let the others read it.

"Harry you have to go, they could close your account if you continue that way" Daphne said urgently

"It's not my fault, I never got any letters before my Hogwarts letter and I barely got that as it was. Hogwarts had to send Hagrid just so I could read" Harry quickly said trying to placate everyone who was looking at him.

"We never said it was mate though it is a bit odd you never got a single letter. A celeb like you I would have thought you'd get tons of fan mail at least." James said.

"Maybe there' a mail redirect ward where you live that stops everything bar Hogwarts stuff? Perfect way to stop you getting anything and keep you hidden so no one can follow or trace the mail. Though that it caught official letters like Gringotts' is odd" Daphne replied while Tracey nodded in agreement.

"Sounds like I'm off to Gringotts then. I should probably speak with Professor Flitwick then." Harry got up only to be tugged down by James.

"Wait till after the meal Harry, there's no rush. When we're finished we'll go with you to Flitwick and you can ask him to take you. Ask for an inheritance test while your there. Might find something interesting" he added as an aside. They then quickly tucked into their dinner while Hedwig flew off to the owlery. When everything was finished and dessert had been cleared away they talked some ore about the day till the hall was dismissed. The group got up and went over to Flitwick who was just walking down from the head table.

"Professor could I have a word with you for a minute?" Harry asked nervously

"Of course dear boy what can I do?

"Er well I need to go to Gringotts on Saturday. It urgent apparently." Harry said as he handed the letter to the professor.

"Hmm indeed it is urgent. You really had no idea about your vaults?"

"None sir, I didn't get any mail before my Hogwarts letter and that's the only one I've had so far apart from this."

"Well then I'll take you there myself on Saturday. Meet me at my office at half nine and we'll floo to the Leaky Cauldron. Best to be either a tad early or on time exactly with goblins Mr Potter". The professor decided.

"Yes sir, thank you sir."

"Well off you lot pop to bed."

"Good night sir" chorused the four and they turned and headed up to their dorm after a long but interesting day.

**AN: Sorry for the delay have recently started a new job so had to get into that before finishing this chapter. Not sure how often updates will be but hopefully once a week. Thanks for all the comments and reviews they are most helpful and it's great to hear from you all. Now before anyone says anything about bashing characters; I don't intend to bash any particularly though I do feel that Molly, Ron, Snape and Dumbledore have some perfectly good bashing in other fics. I will probably just have Snape as a grumpy spiteful man who still care for Lilly and is trying to help harry just really badly since he doesn't change. Equally Dumbledore is good but misguided or making mistakes. While Ron is a bit of a git and has jealousy issues I don't really think he'll come up, much same with Molly not appearing as much due to lack of Ron/Weasleys and she always seem controlling while kinda kind. Thanks all, J signing off.**


	12. Chapter 12: A Potter in Gringotts

**AN: Just a quick update and edit to layout and change some words to correct a few things that some reviews mentioned, enjoy - 10/11/2019**

**AN: Thanks for reading this far it means a lot and your reviews are most helpful and appreciated. I own nothing it all belongs, bar my OCs, to JK Rowling. Enjoy!**

**Rise of House Black**

**A Potter in Gringotts**

**September 1991**

An old man with a long white beard, half-moon spectacles and wearing unsightly and expensive purple robes paced around his office in a tower in a castle wondering what to do about a bespectacled raven haired boy. He thought he'd done right by the boy; left him with family safe behind blood wards cut off from the magical world that would venerate him and use him as a poster boy for anything. The same happened to him when he beat Grindelwald and he hadn't wanted it after besting Gellert, he'd just wanted to return to teach at Hogwarts which was his first love, after Gellert and his family. He sighed. He hadn't wanted Harry to know about the heirship, it would mean growing up far to soon and he should enjoy his childhood without a care not worrying about politics and old fuddies like those on the Wizengamot. It was especially true since Tom possibly wasn't as dead as everyone thought it would be likely that with the prophecy Tom and Harry would die by the others hand '_or maybe __I'll have to kill Tom __if Harry fails__' _he thought sadly. That scar Harry had was most unlike anything he'd seen before and radiated dark magic. There was bound to be some connection between Tom and Harry but what. He'd looked everywhere, in many different libraries and repositories but he hadn't come close to anything, or rather he had but hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. He sighed again. Oh what to do, whatta to do. He continued to pace as a soft trill filled the room. "I couldn't have known they'd be that bad Fawkes." Trill. "Yes I know Minerva said they were the worse sort but he was family to them, they should have treated him well and they did keep him. Do you think I did the right thing?" Trill. "Hmm yes I know I could have placed him elsewhere but who could I trust? Sirius betrayed the Potters somehow, I just wish I'd seen it first before agreeing to make him the Keeper but then I'd be like Tom looking everyone's minds I can't stoop to his level surely?" Trill. "Yes alright I could have tried someone else but the Weasleys have so many already and Amelia has Susan plus work at the ministry, the others of the order were too old or not married and busy with work and then Hogwarts is not suitable to raise a child"- trill "alright yes I am making excuses but don't you think they're still valid points?" Trill "Maybe I could teach him a few things? Try help at the Dursleys somehow or put him in the Potter mansion, assuming it still stands?" Sigh. "Things are becoming more complicated Fawkes, and Tom is coming back, I'm sure of it." He went back to pacing wondering what to do about Harry and the stone that lay on the third floor behind some formidable defences in case Tom was still around.

In another part of the castle two boys woke for breakfast on their fifth day of school in a magical castle. Today was flying lessons along with defence and transfiguration along with history. "Looking forward to riding a broom?"

"Yeah should be good James, looks like it could be fun. Nervous though, never flown before and you've heard that blonde haired boy in Slytherin-" "Malfoy" "-yeah him, he's been saying how much he's been on a broom before and how good he is so just nerves I guess".

"Lucky we don't have the same lesson as him then, we have the slot before them. Come on lets head on out to the practise field to meet...Hooch? Yeah thinks that's the name. You two ok?" James asked the two girls.

"We'll do fine. We've ridden a couple of times at home and Tracey has flown with me a few of times when she's visited the family manor. You'll both do fine. Just listen to the instructions then stick with us." With that the four walked down to the field where they met an older woman with short spiky grey hair and hawkish yellow eyes.

"Good morning everyone. Welcome to your riding lesson. I am Madam Hooch and you will follow my instructions carefully and if you do then you'll all do fine. Now step up to your broom, hold out your right hand above it and say 'up'". James and the others did as instructed and he found that he, Harry and a couple others had the broom leap up into their hands.

"Cool" he whispered. He watched while others got theirs after a few trys while some just flopped about on the floor. Eventually the whole class had theirs in their right hand.

"Now I want you to mount the broom like so, grip it firmly but not rigidly." She then walked down the two lines correcting grips and stances.

"How you two doing? James asked the girls.

"Fine so far, it's a nice refresher course" replied Daphne calmly though looking a tiny bit uncomfortable.

"Same, can't wait to get in the air" Tracey added.

"Right when I say I want you to push up off the ground hard, rise and hover for a few seconds then lean forward to land. On my whistle, three-two-one". With the blow of the whistle everyone pushed off and began to hover. As the class proceeded they learnt turning, varying speed, landings and other basics before being left for five minutes to fly freely. James, Harry and the two girls flew together, with James noticing Harry doing really well like a fish to water. Even the two girls were doing really well though both seemed to prefer being on the ground. James though was enjoying being 20 plus feet off the ground and the wind in his face as he flew around the area. '_That's it, nice and steady, easy going. I could get used to this'_ he thought as he flew alongside Harry. "Race you back mate?"

"Yeah, this is great fun" Harry yelled back happily. The pair shot off back to the landing area with the girls yelling at them to slow down and wait for them but the boys ignored them and came to a halt on the landing area. "Aww drat, a draw. Nicely done though Harry. Maybe you should join the Quidditch team next year."

"Yeah maybe James. I'll see how my flying comes along first though."

"YOU IDIOTS! YOU COULD DIED! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!" came a loud voice as Daphne came running over. She was red with anger. "You shouldn't have gone so fast on these brooms, can't you see how old they are? They'd break in a heartbeat and you go and charge straight ahead at max speed, are you trying to die?"

"Daphne I think your exaggerating the risk a bit; one, we were fairly low down and two, Madam Hooch was watching us like a hawk and she didn't say anything to us. Plus as you can see we made it down safely". Seeing the look in Daphne's eye Harry added quickly to James' argument by saying "but we promise we won't rush off like that again. Except if there's a need and we are on better brooms". Daphne huffed but nodded in acceptance.

"That was really cool, you two looked great! Maybe you could join the Ravenclaw quidditch team" Tracey said excitedly. Daphne glared at her friend who merely stuck her tongue and grinned in reply. The rest of the day went quickly with the excitement of the broom riding fuelling the boy's energy. Defence was kinda boring again for the four who struggled with Quirrell's stutter as he talked of the disarming spell and the stinging hex. Transfiguration had more lectures on the theory while little practical. And History was another sleep session for most of the class or revision of defence for James and Harry. After another filling meal at dinner, in which Harry ate more than his first night at Hogwarts they all went to bed though Harry struggled with nerves due to his meeting the next day.

When morning came the four went down to breakfast and Harry just picked at the bacon and sausages while he did have a piece or two of fruit while the other three watched and had their own.

"Harry you'll do fine. Just remain calm, and try to learn what you can about your accounts. Invest your money and maybe ask advise from the goblin as he'll know the economy better than you." Daphne helpfully advised while James and Tracey nodded in agreement.

"Hey James do you think you might have a wizarding relative? You said you were adopted so you might be related to someone" Harry asked.

"Er yeah mate I already looked, why do you think I suggested you take the inheritance test too?"

"What did yours say?"

"I'll tell you later, I think you need to go meet Professor Flitwick now its quarter past nine and he said meet at half past."

"Oh right, ok then see you three later." Harry said with a wave and rushed out the hall.

"Now I can't have been the only one to see a subject change, so who is your family then?" Tracey asked.

"I'll tell you later sometime ok?" James said nervously while glancing round the hall. He saw Malfoy sitting with the two boys who'd accompanied him on the train and he was pompously talking abut some topic or another, while across the room the red haired Weasley boy was stuffing his face with food. Further down the table Neville and the Granger girl were talking and eating breakfast together.

Meanwhile Harry had reached Flitwick's office and was waiting for him to arrive.

"Ah Mr Potter early are we? No worries I am ready to go none the less. Got all you need? Good right over here then. Have you used floo travel before?"

"No sir"

"Ok, what you need to remember is to grab a handful of the powder from this pot, you throw the powder down and step into the fireplace then say very clearly where you want to go. Don't worry this time you will come with me so I will say it but just watch and remember for the next time. Follow me so far?"

"Yes sir, what if there's already fire going already?"

"If there's a fire going then in that case you throw the powder onto the flames and walk into it and then you say your destination. Right then, hold my hand and lets go." Taking Harry's hand Flitwick led him over to the fireplace and threw some of the powder down while saying "Diagon Alley" and walked into the green flame dragging Harry along with him. What followed was a stretching, squeezing and spinning sensation as Harry saw hundreds of fireplaces fly before his eyes before he was spinning out of a fireplace in to a dimly lit room landing flat on the floor on his back. He eventually recognised where he was as the Leaky Cauldron. Picking himself up off the floor he brushed his clothes down and blew the dirt of his glasses as Flitwick stepped out the fireplace as if he had just walked in. He chuckled slightly at Harry's bedraggled appearance. "I think you will need more practise with it Mr Potter. Don't worry everyone struggles their first few times". Hethen walked over to the door that led to the alley's entrance. The two walked up to the alley towards Gringotts and as they approached Flitwick nodded at the guards who nodded back. "Remember Mr Potter, be calm, respectful and don't use magic inside" Flitwick said as they walked inside. They moved towards a teller at his desk. "Mr Potter is here as requested by his account manager for a meeting at 10 O'clock"

"Does he now? Very well I will let the manager know and he will send someone to collect you. Wait over there please. Next!" A few minutes later after watching a number of witches and wizards be served a goblin approached. "This way please." Following the goblin they went down a number of marble corridors that were well lit with crystal chandeliers and the occasional torch bracket. The pair eventually came to a door that said _Potter __A__ccount__s,_ upon entering they saw and older goblin sitting behind a desk waiting.

"Greeting Mr Potter I am Ripgrip. It is about time you came and met with us. Is there a reason you ignored your statements and the request to meet?"

"What statements sir? I never received any mail before I got my Hogwarts letter" Harry answered nervously.

"We sent statements to you from your second birthday once a month as you were the heir and only person it could be sent to. True as a baby we never expected you to read them but upon you 6th or 7th birthday we did." The goblin replied. "Very well as you have not received any mail we will have to look into it. Where do you live? Are there wards around it?

"Wards? What are they? I live with my aunt, uncle and cousin who are muggles."

"Wards are used to protect things or do certain tasks, like hide a building from muggle view, make it fireproof, or weather resistant, or prevent entry. It is possible there is a mail redirect ward on your house with exceptions for Hogwarts and friends added to it" Flitwick answered in his teacher voice.

"He is correct Mr Potter. We will send a curse breaker to examine your home to see what, if anything, has been placed there. We will also check you as sometimes it is placed on the person as a charm rather than a ward on the home. I lean more towards it being on the building as you received our letter at Hogwarts but it is best to be certain. Do not worry Mr Potter, these will be carried out free of charge this time as the bank did not foresee these circumstance occurring and thus the onus is on us to figure out what occurred. Now then let us do the blood test to confirm you identity." As he said that a small knife appeared with a piece of parchment next to it.

"Er Mr Ripgrip would it be possible to do an inheritance test? My friends suggested it and it would tell me who my family is" Harry asked.

"It is doable Mr Potter. Place five drops of blood on the parchment instead of the three I was going to ask for." Harry did as asked and pricked his finger to allow the five drops to land on the paper. After a moment words began to form.

_**Name: Harry James Potter  
**__**D.O.B: 31st July 1980  
**__**Father: James Fleamont Potter  
**__**Mother: Lilly Marie Potter nee Evans  
**__**Godfather: Sirius Orion Black  
**__**Godmother: Alice Natalie Longbottom nee Macmillan**_

_**Titles:  
**__**Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter (Father)  
**__**Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell (Father)  
**__**Lord of the Noble House of Broadmoor (Mother)**_

_**Trust Vaults granted:  
Potter  
Broadmoor**_

"Well, well, well. You are intriguing Mr Potter. Two of these I expected but the third from your mother yes that is interesting" Ripgrip said.

"Wasn't my mother a muggle-born?" Harry asked intrigued.

"Indeed she was Harry, I taught her Charms my self and she was a smart as they come if not more so. But to think she has magical heritage. If this proves what I think it does it destroys a lot of the pureblood doctrine that was used in the war" Flitwick answered.

"Your professor is correct. It appears your mother came from a line of squibs that came from the Broadmoor family. That family was thought to be dead after the two remaining members died during the war. Both played for Falmouth Falcons back in the 60s but were killed at their home by Death Eaters after they refused to join or fund them. They were a pureblood family that was mainly light and grey aligned. Not fabulously wealthy like the Potters or Blacks for example but not poor either like the Weasley or Gaunt families. The Broadmoors were also helped by their Quidditch careers and that they didn't spend much due to their deaths. They have a single manor to their name though not a large one and it is also damaged from when the brothers were killed. I'm sure if we tested other muggleborns we might find descendants of other families too. Now onto your fathers inheritance. Peverell is a very old family that died out via the male line in the 1300s. The female line can be tracked to two families. The Gaunts and the Potters. The Gaunts are extinct as far as we know as no one who has done a blood test had a claim to their account. An account, which doesn't have anything anyway but that is neither here nor there nor concern you as you are not the Gaunt heir, exists but merely has a few objects of little monetary value such as heirlooms and books. In terms of assets; the Peverell family had a reasonably large wealth though most of that has been split between the Gaunts and Potters already so there's only a small but comfortable amount kept in the Peverell vaults. There are only two manor houses kept to the Peverell family as the Potters took the some to their collection and the Gaunts sold the one they owned to pay off debts. Most of the Peverell family heirlooms are either in the Peverell Vault or the Potter one as the Gaunts received very few family items since that side of the Peverell family was short lived. So to summarise, the Peverell family has a medium size amount of wealth (a bit larger then the Broadmoors for comparison), there are two manors; one here in England and the other in Bordeaux, France as a summer retreat/manor house. There are also a number of heirlooms, books and artefacts in the Peverell vault. Now for the Potter family. Not as old as the Peverells but reasonably old. You have a large wealth similar to the Blacks though it has taken a hit from the war with Voldemort. Your accounts are stagnant and bring in limited profits due to lack of investments. The other families are extinct so had no investments. You have 5 properties; Potter Manor here in England which has damage from a Death Eater attack, Potter Cottage, which was a former Peverell possession, which is also severely damaged but is now a monument and maintained by the Ministry. You also have a small house in London which was owned briefly by your mother but added to the Potter estate upon her marriage, a summer retreat in Marseille (formerly Peverell) and a town house in New York. There is an additional Potter property that we know exists but is in an unknown location. It is said the Lord's ring tells the Lord upon receiving it where this property is, as such we know not of its condition or what it is and it too is a former Peverell property. We presume it is a secure hiding spot where the family can hide away to never be found in case of trouble. These properties are in useable condition and are currently under lock down except for the house in London your mother owned since it is in a muggle area it would look out of place for a house to suddenly vanish. Instead a gardener/handyman is paid from the Potter account twice a year to give the outside of the house and garden some maintenance. The inside is under stasis charms and other security measures so no one can get in" Ripgrip concluded.

"Wow, er thank you so much for that information. Quite a lot to take in. Is there anything immediate that I need to know? Also who are the other people mentioned in that list with my parents?" Asked Harry.

"They are your godparents. Essentially like the muggle equivalent but they swear an oath to protect and raise the child should the parent be unable to do so. They also can't willingly endanger the child or parents to enable them to raise said child. Sirius Black is currently in Azkaban prison for murder and betraying your parents, Alice Longbottom is currently in St Mungo's long term care for exposure to the Cruciatus curse – the torture curse."

"Wait I remember my friend at Hogwarts saying something about Sirius not having a trial, is that true?"

"You remember what I said about sworn godparents? If he had betrayed your family he would be long dead and not in prison. That to Gringotts' eyes is proof that he isn't as guilty as believed. As for if he has a trial or not I can look into it or ask the Black accountant as they would need proof of sentencing from a trial to register it with the account. The simplest solution would be to write to the head of the DMLE Director Amelia Bones and request the transcripts of the trial" Ripgrip suggested.

"Very well, can you write the letter to Directory Bones and send it after I've signed it? You know what to ask for and who to address it to so I could look it over before you send it and sign it?" Asked Harry nervously.

"Hahaha you have guts to ask Mr Potter. No I can't write and send the letter to her as it is not in my purview. It is something the Lord of a House has to do. What I can do is give you parchment to write it on and give you your house rings to seal it with." He reached into his desk to grab some parchment and a quill which he placed on the desktop, he then when to another draw and pulled out a small box like those used for rings or jewellery. He opened it then turned it to face Harry. "Here Mr Potter, the Heir ring of House Potter. Place it on your index finger, it will resize to fit assuming your worthy to wear it, if not..." Ripgrip trailed off leaving the threat hanging and implied. Harry slowly picked the ring up and examined it. The ring was a gold and silver band with etching around it with some seeming to be some Latin script. On top of the ring facing upwards when placed on a finger was a coat of arms. '_My family crest, something that belongs to me and not the Dursleys. Oh how they'd blow a gasket if they saw me now' _he thought. The crest was red and gold with an amphora in the centre, a lion rampant on one side and a winged skeletal horse rampant on the other with a triangle of all things encompassing the three on the shield. Sliding the ring onto his finger it gave a light flash then resized to fit comfortably. "The ring will warn you of potions in your food and drink as well as act as a portkey – a means of travel in the wizarding world – to any of your properties. The crest you see is the Potter coat of arms. Consisting of a lion to do with the family quest for justice, courage and honour, a thestral due to your Peverell family connection as they are a symbol of death which the Peverells have a connection to and an amphora due to the pottery business your family once had and where your family name originates from. I'm afraid I do not know why a triangle is present though it was added around the time Iolanthe Peverell married into the family, so it is presumed by us to be another reference to the Peverells." Harry nodded along taking in the information like a sponge, this was his family and he had to know all he could to live up to his family name and position n the world. "There is one final item we must cover. Your parents Wills. The Ministry copy was sealed by the Wizengamot, or more specifically the Chief Warlock, due to a belief that secrets would be revealed or some wand waver nonsense. The Gringotts original copy is in the Potter Vault awaiting your approval to be read. Do you wish to read it?"

"Yes please, I would like to know what was said by my parents" Harry said confidently hoping to hear some final words from his parents.

"Very well if you wait a few moments I will summon it to be read." Ripgrip scribbled a few notes and waved his hand which resulted in the parchment glowing and a scroll of parchment with a bowl with a silvery liquid inside appeared on the desk. "Here we have the Potter Will. It has a written document as required and an audio version to announce to a will reading giving final thought and memories, in a way acting like the wizarding portraits you might have seen." Ripgrip touched the side of the bowl which glowed slightly and then began to speak:

"_Here is the last will and testament of I, James Fleamont Potter and my wife Lilly Marie Potter as of 20th October 1981. Harry if you are hearing this it means that we failed. We lost the war though hopefully you are safe and that maybe the war was won eventually. It hasn't been going so well for us and since we've gone into hiding with you it has felt like its been getting worse if that was somehow possible. Right then onto the goodies and who gets what – Ouch Lilly don't hit me – right where was I? Oh yes bequeathments; _

_1\. To Sirius Orion Black my best friend and brother in all but blood, I give you 300,000 Galleons and of course our son to look after as godfather. Take care of him as we have failed, raise as a new marauder – Ow Lilly, ok ok, Sirius raise him to be a good boy and treat everyone respectfully but remember to have fun Harry and prank occasionally. Sirius we also leave you access to some of the Potter properties so as to raise Harry in the places his family once was and I also ask you to look after the playwitch I kept to give harry when he was older – Ow Lilly, alright Sirius burn them and never show Harry – Better dear?_

_2\. To Remus John Lupin, a.k.a Mooney, I'm sorry we thought you'd gone over but with everything going on and who you were meeting and that you're a werewolf I'm sure you can see why we thought so, didn't help that Wormtail was dropping hints against you the blasted rat, despite knowing you for the past ten years. Anyway we leave you 300,000 galleon so go buy yourself some new clothes and get yourself a girl mate, also no way are you giving it back it's yours accept it and you're welcome at the Potter properties we've let Sirius into._

_3\. To Petter Pettigrew, we hope that you've been the loyal friend we believe but if we are dead and out hiding place revealed how could you Peter we trusted you to be the secret keeper and help us keep harry safe. If we died through some way other than our hiding place being revealed and died in open combat with death eaters for example the Petter you can have 300,00 galleons and please help with raising harry as you are one of my closest friends. If we died at our cottage and our location was revealed then let it be know you are a traitorous rat and is an animagus of the common garden rat variety and that we will haunt you for all eternity. You also get nothing from us._

_4\. To Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, we give 300,000 galleons to help the order and pray we have won the war. We hope the prophecy you warned us about was rubbish and that you defeated old Voldy so the world is a better place just how we wish it to be. Remember trust your friends and seek advise, you don't have to do it all yourself even if you are the greatest wizard alive._

_5\. Alice and Frank Longbottom, we leave you 300,000 galleons and Harry if Sirius is unable to look after Harry. As his godmother Alice we hope that you can temper some of Sirius' brash and pranking ways. Or at least Lilly does but then she was was your friend – Ouch Lilly, sorry Lilly, Alice your were my friend too, so are you Frank!_

_6\. Last but by no means least, Harry. We leave you are belongings and affects, our properties and money. You will be heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. Live up to our name, we fight those who corrupt, we fight those who do evil, we fight for those who can not fight and we care not for if you are muggle or pureblood. We care for who you are not what. Remember most importantly Harry, we love you and that will never change. Be brave and stand tall and, to use an old muggle phrase your mum told me once, keep calm and carry on. That's just so totally British I love that phrase haha!_

_One last part, order of custody of Harry if neither of us are alive:_

_1st Sirius Orion Black as sworn godfather,_

_2nd Alice Natalie Longbottom as sworn godmother,_

_3rd Andromeda Tonks as cousin of Sirius and family friend,_

_4th Professor Minerva McGonagall as our teacher and later friend,_

_5th Remus Lupin, we'd place you higher mate but knowing the Ministry they'd say know due to what your are,_

_6th Any light family like the Bones or Abbots,_

_Harry should not under any circumstances go to Petunia Dursley nee Evans as she will not care for our son as she dislikes magic to the extreme and hates Lily._

_That concludes our will._

_Signed Lord presumptive James Fleamont Potter and Lady presumptive Lilly Marie Potter nee Evans of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter_

"They loved me" Harry said tearfully, "I was never suppose to go to the Dursleys either, I should have gone to Sirius or Neville's parents" he sniffled. "Can you copy that part about Sirius and Pettigrew onto a separate piece of parchment so I can send it to Director Bones?"

"Indeed I can, write the letter now young Heir and I will enclose the copied portions into the envelope with it" Ripgrip said. Harry quickly wrote out a letter asking about a trial, the contents of the trial and explaining that these will extracts were taken from his parents will which dated to just over a week before they died. Sealing it in an envelope and placing a wax seal, pressed with the Potter crest from his ring, he then handed the envelope over to the goblin who took it and sent it off to be dispatched by Gringotts owl with a flick of his hand.

"Now about those investments Heir Potter?" Ripgrip said with a feral grin as Harry gulped nervously.


	13. Chapter 13: Truths Revealed

**AN: This all belongs to JK and Warner Bros. all I can take credit for is my OC and how the story turns out**

**Rise of House Black**

**Truths Revealed**

It was almost lunch time when a regal eagle owl landed in an office on the second floor. A man in red robes waved his wand over the letter attached to the owl before removing it and checking to see the addressee. Seeing it was for the boss, the man waved his wand over it in a more complicated manner before then turning it over and seeing the wax seal of an Ancient and Noble House. He hurried through the 'bullpen' as it was known past the desks and cubicles of the various aurors, investigators and pencil pushers. A crash was heard in the far corner of the room from a pink haired woman tripping over and crashing into the tea trolley followed by a yell of "Tonks! What did I say about CONSTANT VIGILANCE!". The auror shook his head at his clumsy colleague before carrying on to the boss as an older man with a wooden leg and a magic eye came round the corner to chew out his trainee. Approaching the office at the end of the corridor he came to a stop before knocking, a soft "come in" answered his knock. Opening the door he entered the office of the Head of the DMLE, Amelia Bones. The tough stern witch sat behind her desk with her monocle hanging on around her neck as she read through various reports and signed off others.

"What you got for me Dawlish?" She said without looking up.

"Letter for you Director, seems to be an ancient House from the seal so must be important."

"Really? Which one is it?"

"Not sure, I don't recognise as a regular writer, from either my shifts up with the Minister or here. Newly active house maybe?"

"Good theory as any, lets see what they have to say, dismissed Dawlish"

"Ma'am." Dawlish said before leaving the letter to his superior.

Amelia picked up the letter and turned it round to see the seal before dropping the letter in shock. "It can't be?!" she gasped. Quickly tearing the seal and opening the letter she read through it digesting and analysing the contents before then turning to the added piece of parchment with the Gringotts seal to prove it as an authorized and authentic extract from a will. '_Well this certainly makes things interesting __and will tick off some big names__'._ She sighed, it's going to be a long day. Pulling a glass out a draw and then a bottle of fire whiskey she poured herself a small one before downing it and deciding on what to do. Getting up from her desk she called in the first two aurors she saw.

"Kingsley! Scrimgeour! My office now!" The two men glance at each other before shrugging and walking past the cubicles and into her office. "Take a seat gentlemen, we have something to discuss that needs some discretion."

"Yes Director" the two men chimed together as they took the seats in front of her desk.

"I have received evidence that throws doubt on the Sirius Black case. Enough doubt that I need to see the trial notes and possibly even to have to interrogate Black again. So this is what I want you to do; Shacklebolt, head down to records and find the trial notes and bring them here. Scrimgeour, go find the aurors who arrested Black and see if they remember anything new or anything that didn't get put in report for whatever reason. Basically just ask them about the arrest though I'll be honest I don't expect much and the trial notes will be our best bet. Right dismissed." The two men got up and left to carry out their tasks though Scrimegeor held back before exiting.

"You really think he might be innocent?" He asked. "I remember that time just as you do, chaotic yes but surely they wouldn't of put him there without proof? The court wouldn't have sent him to prison otherwise."

"I wish it was that simple, the letter I got and the evidence that came with it was highly suggestive that there was no trial and is clear that in one charge he might not be guilty" she replied in a tired tone.

"Can I know what evidence? I am the Head of the Auror department and it might help this investigation if I knew what to look for."

"The will of the Potters was opened, and it says that Pettigrew was the Keeper not Black, apart from that it also says the Black is Harry Potter's godfather. Sworn godfather" at that she gave him a look. Being sworn godfather was very serious, he gave a snort at that awful pun and Bones looked at him quizzically. He shook his head and muttered "nothing."

"As you can now see it has become important to determine what was said at trial that allowed him to get round the godfather oath or what drove him to betray what was effectively his adoptive family. Plus, Potter wants to know and I can't blame the boy."

"That is troubling, I thought the will was sealed? Only the Wizengamot or Chief Warlock could open it?"

"Yes _our_ copy of the will they sealed, not the original kept in Gringotts. Those idiots forget that most old families keep the original in their vaults at Gringotts and give a copy to the Ministry. But of course there's very few old families that would willing point this fact out as as it could affect them so allowing the ministry copy to be sealed is pointless from their point of view."

"Who would know? Just in case I need to go asking them in future?"

"Let me see, most of the sacred 28 plus the Potter family but not including Malfoy, Lestrange and a couple of others maybe. Basically those that are pureblood, maybe a halfblood or two and those that have very old roots, not any new families or those not part of old accounts."

"Huh sounds about right then though surprising about Malfoy. Right I'll head off and find some of those who arrested Black. Ma'am."

"Yes well none of us who know of the loophole plan to tell him or others we have a way out of things" She said with a smirk. "Scrimgeour." She turned back to the pile of parchment on her desk as the head auror exited the office. She sighed, '_yes this is going to be a long day'._

Meanwhile back at Hogwarts Harry had returned from Gringotts with more questions but some answers too. He walked down to the Great Hall for lunch and found his friends sitting at one end of the Ravenclaw table. They waved him over and he went to sit with them. James was the first to talk.

"So how'd it go?"

"It was...interesting" Harry replied after a moment. "Learnt a few things like I shouldn't have gone to where I live now. Also that Sirius Black is my godfather and is apparently my sworn one." This elicited a gasp from the two girls.

"If he's sworn godfather he couldn't have betrayed you and your parents, he'd be dead otherwise." Daphne said.

"Yep" Harry said, popping the p. "That's what Gringotts said. Also I found out that apparently I'm heir to three families; Potter, Peverell and Broadmoor."

"Peverell is really old, like really really old and also supposedly really really dead and fairly dark too like the Blacks if not more so" Tracey said worriedly.

"Thank you Tracey for that wonderful heart-warming information that makes Harry feel great about his family" Daphne sarcastically said. "Broadmoor however, is a relatively newish house, they only made noble barely a hundred years ago and is presumed extinct since the last two sons didn't have any heirs." Daphne added glaring at Tracey for her bad description on the Peverell name.

"Er thanks, I learnt a bit about all of them in terms of what each House owns and it seems most of the Peverell stuff went to the Potters, a small bit went to some people called Gaunts and the rest was kept in the Peverell vault under their name. It was quite interesting really. Though the investments killed me. I don't know a ting but it. The most I did was suggest a few names I heard my uncle mention over the years and suggest looking at them." he sighed. "I felt a bit useless with that though the goblin was helpful. So what have you lot been up to?"

"Just some homework and reading to be honest mate. The girls chatted to their dorm mates and I did the same as well, they aren't half bad actually we should invite a few to join us with some studying we'll do at some point." Tracey and Daphne nodded in agreement.

"Oh I almost forgot, I sent a letter to Amelia Bones about Black. So might get something relatively soonish." Harry said excitedly.

"Really? That'll be great mate. Do you think they can sort it out quick?" James said with equal excitement to Harry

"No idea, I hope they do, where I stay at the moment is not home, feels like a prison sometimes."

"It can't be that bad, they're your family? Right?"

"I'm barely human in their eyes, sorry I don't want to talk about it. When does quidditch start?" Harry asked quickly. The other three share a worried glance at the sudden subject change.

"Er the matches or practise? Not that it matters as you're a first year so can't join yet anyway" James replied.

"Matches"

"Think the first is a week or two away Harry"

"Cool I might go watch it then" Harry said before tucking into his lunch. The others just shrugged their shoulders and finished theirs. They knew they'd get the full story eventually, they had the whole weekend and the rest of seven years to try.

It was Sunday afternoon and Amelia Bones was not having a good weekend.

"What do you mean you can't find the transcripts! They should be in archives with all the others, did you check his arrest file and everything to do with it?"

"Yes ma'am, the file states he was arrested and who by. It then goes to say he was sent to Azkaban. No record of a trial or sentence is there just a note that he was sent to prison" Kingsley said glumly. He hadn't found a thing, nothing more than they already knew and it annoyed him to hell that that was all he had.

"Damn it to hell! I'd hoped that maybe it just wasn't released to the press about what he'd said and there had been a trial. Now though we have no trial and technically no right to hold him. Damn!" Amelia said furiously. "Scrimgeour you got Black in a cell here right?"

"Yes Director. In a cell just down the hall under guard. He seemed rather pleased to be getting to talk. Insisted he was both innocent and to blame. Not sure if its the Azkaban madness or just the famed Black one to be honest."

"Right well lets go speak to him. You got the veritaserum Scrimgeour?"

"Er I do director" Kingsley said pulling out a vial of the clear liquid.

"Right you two with me hen. Lets go see what he has to say." The three aurors walked down the corridor to the secured cells. Entering the only guarded one they saw a haggard looking man chained to the desk wearing dirty grey prison robes.

"Amelia so nice of you to join me, I'd offer to shake your hand but I'm a bit tied up with things so perhaps later?" He said with what might have been considered a charming smile but now just seemed weird.

"Your charm is clearly out of practise Mr Black. Your smile was better and your jokes, if you can call them that, were funnier, if they at all were, before you went to prison."

"Not my fault its only a captive audience in prison which doesn't change much and that I lack new material" he replied indignantly. The two men behind Amelia tried to keep from groaning at his puns.

"If you'll settle down we'll get this over with. Do you consent to veritaserum?"

"Yes please, its about time, dose me with it" he exclaimed joyfully.

"I'll take that as a yes then" She muttered giving a nod to Kingsley to give Sirius the three drops.

"Name?"

"Sirius Orion Black"

"Which house were you in at Hogwarts?"

"Gryffindor"

"Occupation?"

"Prisoner maybe? I used to be an auror."

"All right I think we can say its working. Now, did you betray James and Lily Potter to you-know-who?"

"No, I did not."

"Were you not the secret keeper?"

"For about a week, we switched keepers thinking it be a good bluff. Peter Pettigrew became the keeper while I pretended to be it."

"Did Peter betray them to you-know-who then?"

"He must have as he was the keeper."

"Did you kill Pettigrew and the muggles?"

"No but I would have killed Peter for betraying us. Never got the chance. He shouted that I'd betrayed James and Lily then he shot a blasting hex towards me which I dodged but it hit a gas pipe that blew up the street. I saw him cut his finger and turn into his rat form then run off. I was too dazed to do anything and shocked that Peter had done what he just did. It was all my fault for suggesting the swap. It was all my fault. I'd failed as a father and now as godfather." With that he broke into tears sobbing into his arms as he dropped his head against the table.

Bones leant back in her chair and only one thing came to mind. "Well shit."

**AN: Hope you're still reading this and sorry was a bit late posting just been busy with work and starting another story when I couldn't think of stuff for this. Still aiming for one chapter a week though. Hope you enjoyed it so far and thank you for all the reviews it means a great deal to me. J signing off.**


	14. Chapter 14: Heirs and Ex-Heirs

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews favourites and follows, it's great to see so many seem to enjoy this story an I hope to live up to your expectations. HP belongs to JK Rowling.**

**Rise of House Black**

**Heirs and ex-Heirs**

When the four claws came down to the great hall on Monday it was to a great noise as much talking and debating was being done amongst all four tables. It became silent however when the four came through the doorway as everyone turned to look at them. Or more specially the small raven haired bespectacled boy with them. Harry gulped at the sight of everyone staring at him while James nervously smiled and Daphne went all impassive and emotionless while Tracey seem curious. They walked down to their table while the rest of the hall watched. When they took their seats the four tables resumed murmuring and talking.

"Wonder what that was all about? I know I'm this boy-who-lived thing but they've not done that before and I've been here over a week" Harry asked. Penelope taking pity on the poor boy who was looking around wondering what he'd done answered him.

"Look at the paper Harry, I'm sure that'll illuminate things for you." She handed him her copy of the paper and the four looked at the headline.

_**Sirius Black: Innocent? or Guilty but without trial?**_

_**By Barnabas Cuffe**_

_It has been revealed that Sirius Black is to receive a trial on Wednesday morning after it was revealed he never had one in the first place. This paper can reveal that there are no records of a trial ever occurring and that now rumours suggest investigations have been launched into why this was the case and who caused it. The DMLE had no comment on those rumours but it did confirm that no record of Black's trial was in the archives as normal. So was a trial not carried out or were the records lost? It is unlikely the records were lost because they are created by special charms in the courtrooms that automatically create transcripts and results for each and every trial. There is no way around it other than no trial taking place. A scribe is usually there as a formality to observe the enchantments work their magic.  
__But how did this all start? Well my dear readers it has been revealed that none other than Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, himself requested one after he discovered that Black was his sworn godfather and was in prison. He was requesting to know the cause of the prison sentence and to see the trial transcripts which led to the current situation though found that none existed. The DMLE under Director Amelia Bones made quick work of this investigation and thoroughly resolved an injustice that has occurred at the heart of our justice system. If a pureblood heir to an Ancient and Noble house can go to prison without trial then who else could?  
__Amongst the revelations revealed is that Sirius Black was Harry Potter's sworn godfather. Now this is no mere swearing, if a godparent fails to care for the child or causes harm to said child and their family they can loose their magic and even die. If Sirius Black was guilty of betraying the Potters then surely he would be long dead rather than in a cell in Azkaban? Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge said that he'd tasked the DMLE to investigate the Boy-Who-Lived's claims after hearing about the case and wanted to help clear up any travesty of justice that may have been carried out by the previous government. This paper looks forward to the trial which will be held in two days at 10 am sharp at the Ministry and is open to public attendance. It also congratulates the Minister and Director Bones for swift action in dealing with this apparent injustice._

"Whoa, that's some news. You alright Harry?"

"He's getting a trail. He's getting a trial. I have to go, to see what happens."

"Harry it's during school hours it's doubtful they'd let you go"

"But I have to go, I have to know, he's the only real family I have if he's innocent."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help but overhear, er were you looking to go to the trial?" Harry looked up to see a red long haired girl with her hair done in a plait down her back standing behind the Tracey and Daphne having come from the Hufflepuff table. She appeared to be a first or second year.

"Er yeah I did, do you know a way? Er sorry who are you?"

"My name is Susan Bones, you wrote to my auntie. You know, Amelia Bones? Anyway you can request to be allowed as it is a family matter and as his godson and, in a way, the aggrieved party you have the right and some would expect you to be there. Hope that helps and well good luck Potter" she said.

"Er thanks, and call me Harry please"

"Susan then"

"This is James, Daphne and Tracey."

"Hi Tracey, Daphne. I know them from various parties the Ministry and other have held, it's nice to see you again. Pleasure to meet you James"

"Likewise" James said. He nudged Harry seeing him staring at the girl.

"Er right, so enjoying school Susan?" Harry asked.

"Yes it's really good though me and Hannah have enjoyed slightly different subjects but we've been friends for years." A commotion was heard from the teachers table, Harry and his friends turned in time to see Snape stand and storm out of the hall not before glaring at Harry. Meanwhile further along Dumbledore appeared to choke on his drink while reading the morning paper before hurrying out of the room.

"Wonder what that was all about?" Susan said. Harry looked puzzled too. In fact most of the hall seemed to be asking the same thing.

"Haven't the foggiest sorry. Clearly something to do with the news but what exactly..." he shrugged.

"Potter" came a poor attempt at a drawl, "What have you done? You've cost me the lordship of House Black. I was next in line to inherit and would have sooner had Black stayed in prison and hopefully died. Now I'll have to wait years before I can get what's mine." Harry tuned to see Draco standing there with his two goons/bodyguards beside him.

"Er sorry? I didn't know you had a claim. I was just looking into my godfather to find out what had happened. How do you have claim to the lordship anyway?

"My mother is a Black and she is a cousin of Sirius' so I was next to inherit. Technically I still am" he replied smugly. "Once Sirius is gone I inherit the House of Black as it belongs to us noble purebloods not a blood traitor like Black. Hopefully he'll loses his case and I can inherit at 16. Then I'll be lord and you will be beneath me as a half blood like you should be. You're barely better than the mudblood next to you."

"Who you calling mudblood you inbred idiot" James retorted hotly.

"You of course and I am not inbred! I will be Lord Black once my father has dealt with Black then we will see who is really in charge" Malfoy smugly stated.

"Still an inbred idiot. So you plan to kill Lord Black do you?"

"Ha like we'd need to if we send him back to Azkaban, maybe he'll get the veil haha"

"So you dare usurp the Lordship and commit line theft against House Black?"

"Please, there is no House Black, everyone is dead or cast out. I doubt Sirius is even Lord as I heard he was cast from the family so I'll inherit anyway. I _am_ Lord Black in all but name" Draco continued to plough on deeper and deeper into the charge James had levelled at Malfoy. Indeed even the few Slytherins that could hear and were following the discussion were looking at him in horror at how stupid he was being. It was so bad even the thick heads of Crabbe and Goyle were wondering if it was a good idea to continue this discussion.

"Malfoy perhaps you'd best check your facts first before making statements like that" Daphne said in a warning tone.

"Of course I'm right Greengrass. My father told me I would be Lord Black. Even my mother agreed with him. I am the only male heir and I will be Lord Black."

"Have you claimed the heir ring then?" James snidely said. Draco looked shocked for a moment that James would even know of such a thing.

"How would a mudblood like you know of such things? It is beyond your station. I don't need to claim it as I am the only one who could take it and everyone knows it." A few Slytherins agreed as did some Ravenclaws. After all it was common knowledge that Draco was the only one after Sirius that could take it.

"Tell me then, what does the Heir ring look like? I'm assuming you've seen it and worn it briefly to check your right to be Heir?" Asked James who couldn't help but feel the hidden ring on his finger.

"I _have _seen it. I didn't wear it as I didn't _need_ to. It is a silver ring, with the crest of House Black on it. The crest is three ravens and a divided shield."

"So like this one" James said as he revealed his heir ring for House Black on his finger. Draco gulped and gaped like a goldfish at the sight of the ring he should posses being on someone else. A someone who had heard his entire ranting and scheming about being lord.

"That's the Heir Black ring?" Harry asked his own Potter ring displaying itself.

"That would be the Black ring yes Harry" said Daphne while James just smiled smugly at Draco, watching him hyperventilate and pale dramatically. The Slytherins and Ravenclaws all gulped and then looked at Malfoy with pity and exasperation. Another first year Slytherin stood and came over to Draco.

"Draco don't say anything else you're already close to attempting line theft and you announced it in front of the heir himself. Stop being a prat and come sit back down. You've lost. That's the heir ring. He couldn't wear it unless it was his. Come sit over here." Draco slowly came to his senses and headed back to his table and spot guarded by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Most helpful Heir Nott, I believe Draco needed some aid and it just wouldn't do for us to help him back to his place. Our thanks."

"Of course Heiress Greengrass. Heir Black a pleasure. Perhaps next time tell people sooner of your status."

"Ah but why do that when idiots like Malfoy can entertain us and give such ammunition to people like me?" James replied. Nott merely nodded in acceptance and returning to his table not before throwing a calculating and intrigued look towards the newly declared heir.

The rest of the day proved to be equally intriguing as many people came up to James to greet him on behalf of fathers or uncles that were Lords of various houses. Indeed some like Longbottom were also shown Harry's ring. Neville stuttered out a congratulations and said his gran was waiting for the right time to give his ring. Susan gave a hug and congratulations and then said she'd told her aunt the news.

The next morning the papers had a new headline:

_**A New Heir Black? Who is he?**_

The article basically said who he, which was that he was a first year Ravenclaw who was friends with Harry Potter. It also admitted that it barely had anything else to say so it speculated a lot. Like 'So what is his relation to the rest of the Black family?' and 'What does Harry Potter think of this?'. The lessons went well with with history its usual boring self as Professor Binns discussed the Goblin rebellion of 1335 and in Herbology Professor Sprout discussed Devil's Snare with her finishing the discussion and viewing of samples by saying "remember students, it hates sunlight and fire so if you ever come across this, which you really shouldn't but if you did, use Lumos Solem as a powerful light spell or Incendio to make fire".

That evening in the common room James, Harry, Tracey and Daphne were sitting around a desk discussing tomorrow.

"So are you going to go to the trial?" Tracey asked.

"Well I asked Professor Flitwick and he said he'd take me. He said given the circumstances and who I was and who the trial was for he said I could go but not to expect this often" Harry said with a sigh. "To be honest I feel nervous. I mean what if he did kill those people like everyone says or what if he doesn't like me or what if -"

"Harry, mate, relax, it will be fine and Flitwick and I will be there."

"Wait you'll be there?" Tracey said and Daphne arched an eyebrow.

"Well er as Heir Black and this concerning the Head or at least presumed Head as well as my best friend I asked if I could go to the trial. Flitwick gave me a look that I'm not quite sure if he was saying you shouldn't go or well done for sticking up for a house mate. He eventually answered and said I could go. So I'm going too."

"There you go Harry, you'll even have this idiot beside so you'll have company. Let us know how it goes won't you?" Daphne said to which James answered with a "Hey!" at the idiot comment and Daphne replied with a stuck out tongue. After discussing some homework from Quirrell, who all three agreed was a pathetic stuttering mess, and McGonagall, who they thought was tough but informative, they went to bed in order to be ready for the next day which seemed set to be a very interesting one.

**AN: Well now everyone knows James is the Black heir. Thoughts on the reveal? I had thought to keep it secret longer but with the trial soon Sirius would know so best now no own terms. So I was going to do the trial but it kinda would have taken much longer to do this chapter than just this so the trial next chapter with maybe a bit of aftermath. Thanks for reading J signing off.**


	15. Chapter 15: Trials and Tribulations

**AN: Hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Thanks for the reviews and sorry it took a while to write this. All rights to JK Rowling and Warner Bros.**

**Rise of House Black**

**Trials and Tribulations**

Harry shot out of the floo and fell face down on the floor. Ten seconds later the fireplace flared to life and James fell to the floor with an ooph next to him as Harry rolled to one side before picking himself up.

"Comfy are we?" Harry asked with a cheeky grin staring down at his friend.

"Just marvellous thanks, give us a hand up would you?" James replied in a similar manner. The fireplace flared again and out stepped Professor Flitwick who gracefully walked out and over to the boys clearing some soot off with his wand.

"Now boys remember to be on your best behaviour here at the ministry. You are representing Hogwarts, Ravenclaw and your own houses so act accordingly. This way to the court rooms" and with that he led them over to a security checkpoint where aurors and guards checked people in.

"Name?" came the bored voice of one guard as they approached.

"Fillius Flitwick" came the squeaky voice of the small professor.

"Purpose?"

"Here for the Sirius Black trial."

"You and half of England. Wand please."

Handing over the wand the guard scanned it, made a note of it then handed it back and allowed the professor through. Then came Harry's turn.

"Name?

"Harry Potter"

"Pur-" the wizard looked up and then down at Harry before grabbing his hand and shaking it firmly. "Mr Potter what a pleasure and an honour! Welcome to the ministry, I hope you have a great day! It's just so great to meet you, thank you for defeating him. Oh it's just so brilliant to meet you in person. Please enjoy your day. Next please. Name?"

"James Peterson, I'm here to see the trial. Here's my wand."

"Er right thanks," said the guard having got over the excitement of meeting The Boy Who Lived. He made a note of the wand before handing it back. Harry didn't bother to point out his wand hadn't been noted as he didn't want to speak to the guard more than he had to after that rather excitable meet and greet. It had been embarrassing enough to have to shake his hand. He took the time instead to observe the Ministry itself. The black tiles and polished dark wood floor glinted in the light and the gold gilding on doors and frames showed the opulence that went into its construction. And there in the centre stood a golden statue. Or statues. It was located in the centre of a pool with water shot from fountains around the side of the pool towards the statues. The tallest of them all was a wizard with a wand pointing straight into the air. Around this statue were the statues of a witch, a centaur, a goblin, and finally a house-elf. The group walked around the fountain towards a large alcove which had a number of lifts arriving and departing. Flitwick, Harry and James got in and requested the courtrooms to the lift operator. After whizzing past various stops and throwing the boys back and forth they arrived. "Level Nine, Department of Mysteries and access stairs to Level Ten, Courtrooms" called the operator. The three walked down the dimly lit, navy blue coloured tiled corridor and to a door on the left hand side labelled 'Level Ten'. Passing down the 2 flights of stairs they came to another corridor that seemed older than the rest of the ministry. Indeed it seemed dingy and forgotten. The dirty, flaky marbled floor led the way to a series of numbered rooms before they arrived at 'Courtroom Ten'.

"Well here we are Mr's Potter and Peterson. Now remain calm, don't get angry or use your magic. I'm here and if you need anything explained just ask. Try to keep quiet as much as possible throughout and respect the court even if some members might not be worth respecting. Now let's take our seats" explained Professor Flitwick. The three walked through the door and into the visitor section towards the back of the room facing the benches of the Wizengamot members which covered three sides of the room which had a chair positioned in the centre of the basin upon which the benches and seating were arrayed around. James noted that it was nearly full already and there were only five minutes until the official start. Taking their seats they looked around the room some more seeing how old it looked, matching the corridor outside and contrasting with the rest of the ministry. The flaky marbled flooring continued in here and large stone arches made up the walls of the room where great bowls stood on plinths alight with large flames casting their light around the room. Indeed there appeared only four or five of the flames and the room seemed well lit if a bit dingy and gloomy in places. The doors opened again and Dumbledore himself came striding through wearing his trademark red and gold robes and half-moon spectacles. He looked around the room, frowning slightly at seeing Harry and James before taking his post at a raised platform that stood to one side of the room where from he could see everyone. He glanced around the room, nodding to a few members and the minister, before checking a time piece and, upon seeing that it was now 10 O'clock, he picked up the gavel on his desk and called the meeting to order.

"Order! Order! I call to order this unexpected meeting of the Wizengamot to oversee the trial of one Sirius Orion Black. Bring in the accused" called Dumbledore. At that command two recessed doors opened inwards and four aurors with Sirius in the middle under escort entered the room. The man looked haggard and pale. His black hair relatively tidy but his face still possessed a fairly gaunt look due to the awful conditions of Azkaban. At the sight of him many gasped and murmurings were carried around the room. Sirius was led to the wooden chair at the centre of the room and then secured to it as all are when on trial.

"Sirius Black you stand, or in this case seated" Dumbledore said with a small smile at his own joke, though seeing that no others smiled he continued "of killing twelve muggles as well as Petter Pettigrew. You are also charged with being a member of a terrorist organisation and causing the deaths of James and Lily Potter. How do you plead?"

"No guilty" he said with a firm but croaky voice from lack of use. This plea sent more murmurings around the room, though this time louder, as many questioned why he'd say that when everyone knew he was at fault.

"Order! Order! Quiet please. Very well then. Prosecution begin your case." At this a man stood up from one of the enches and approached Black.

"Honourable members of the Wizengamot and visitors. We have here a clear case. Sirius Black was the secret keeper of the Potters as we all know and the Potter were found by You-Know-Who leading to their murder. We have the inescapable conclusion that he told You-Know-Who where to find them. Having led to the deaths of the Potters he proceeded to kill the last of their friends, Peter Pettigrew and killed the muggles in the attempt. All that was left of Pettigrew was his finger. Black is also from a well known family who supported the dark lord and it is entirely conceivable this was carried out either at their request or as an attempt to gain favour with his family. The result is that he is clearly guilty and the facts speak for themselves. Thank you." With that said the man returned to his seat without even questioning Sirius.

"Mr Black" Dumbledore began, "What do you say in return? What is your defence?"

"I request the use of veritaserum and Director Amelia Bones to ask the questions agreed to earlier." More gasps were heard at the request for the truth serum, many not believing he'd actually done so due to it forcing the truth and thus revealing anything when asked. Due to the nature of the serum a number of death eater rejected it and merely said they were under the imperius curse. "Why is everyone shocked professor? Surely anyone would want to use the serum to prove they aren't lying?" asked Harry.

"Ah but you see the deaths eaters who had been caught did not take it back in the day as most pleaded the imperius curse and were not themselves. It also helped that they donated a lot to the ministry in exchange for light or no sentences. Even today there are many, though not lots, who would like to see those who plead imperius to go under the serum but it has to be requested. It can't be forced except by a large majority of the Wizengamot and that is unlikely to ever occur." At this point an auror had returned with a small vile of the serum as requested and gave Black three drops into is mouth. Sirius then became vacant and actin as if in a trance. A stern looking but attractive lady wearing a monocle, who appeared middle aged with only a few grey hairs around the edge, walked up to Sirius.

"What is your name?" She asked.

"Sirius Orion Black" came the monotone voice of Sirius.

"What house were you in at Hogwarts?"

"Gryffindor"

"Who was your best friend at school?"

"James Potter"

"I believe we can say it is working my honourable colleagues. Now, were you the Potter's secret keeper?

"Only briefly, I had the duty for a few months before switching to Peter Pettigrew. We thought it would be best for me to pretend to still be it while Peter hid and therefore draw off anyone after James and Lily." Gasps of surprise were heard around the room as many theories that had been held crumbled as the monotone voice of Sirius answered each question.

"Did you betray the Potters to You-Know-Who?"

"No I would never betray them."

"Did you kill Pettigrew and the muggles?"

"No but I wanted to kill Peter but I never got the chance. When I cornered him on the street he yelled that I'd betrayed James and Lily and then he fired a blasting hex which I dodged but it hit a gas pipe which erupted and killed many. He then cut his finger off and turned into a rat so as to escape down the sewer pipes. I was left in the street alone and outclassed by the weakest of our friends. I guess I started laughing at the irony of it all and how it was all my fault for switching keeper." Silence lingered for all of a second or two before pandemonium erupted from various factions and groups saying different things. Dumbledore banged the gavel several times before order could finally be restored though he himself appeared surprised at the results of the serum.

"I believe that after that most interesting of events we should proceed to the deliberations, unless either side wish to add more?" He paused waiting for either lawyer to say anything but continued when nothing came. "In that case those in favour of convicting on all charges?" A handful raised their arms mostly coming from the dark families on the left side of the room. James made a note of each person with a raised arm so as to query their names and deal with them later.

"Those in favour of clearing of all charges?" At this most wands or wands were raised signalling a clearing of Sirius' name.

"Very well. Sirius Orion Black you are hereby cleared of all charges" Dumbledore said happily before banging his gavel. "Now in restitution for false imprisonment the Ministry will pay the sum of 1,000 Galleons per year imprisoned as per the law on Prisons and Justice dated 1747 and updated in 1905. Mr Black, I hope you will forgive us all for this travesty and if you need any help dear boy do come a find me at your old school. Case closed." He banged his gavel and the crowd began to depart all the while talking loudly about what they'd just seen and heard. Harry and James however began to walk down to where Sirius was with Flitwick a few paces behind them. As they approached Sirius turned to face them a questioning look on his face before he saw the scar on Harry's head and recognised the facial features as James, Harry's father.

"Harry?" He asked with a croaky voice.

"Yes Mr Black, I am Harry Potter. It's er nice to meet you. Congratulations on your trial."

"Pish, call me Sirius or Padfoot. Mr Black is my father and it makes me feel old. And who might you be?" He asked turning to face James.

"I'm James Peterson. James Arcturus Peterson. I was found with a house elf back in the summer of '81." He replied nervously, not sure how to broach the topic of '_by the way_ _you're my dad'_. However he didn't need to as Sirius' face paled dramatically even more so than it already was.

"Y-You can't be...the fire...nothing left. Are...are you?" He collapsed to his knees in front of the boys as James just nodded.

"Hi, dad. It's, er, nice to meet you I guess. Sorry it's just I'm used to calling my parents mum and dad, I-I'm not sure quite what to call you. Sorry." He said in a quiet nervous voice feeling as bad as if not worse than Harry.

"James" Sirius leaned forward and pulled James into a hug before letting go and pulling Harry into one too though Harry flinched a bit and froze before relaxing into the hug. "My boys, I thought I'd let you both down, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I failed both of you. Please forgive me I never meant for any of this to happen, just please forgive me". He broke down into tears while holding both boys who glanced at each other over his head before softly patting his back comfortingly. They stood there for a few minutes until Sirius finally stopped and stood up. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "Sorry you two had to see that" he said sheepishly.

"No its alright Padfoot, to be honest we probably feel the same. You're our only family left so we want to get to know you." Harry said looking to James ho nodded in agreement.

"Harry, James as I'm you guardian most likely I was hopping you'd both move in with me." Sirius said nervously.

"Really you'd want me to move in with you?" harry asked hopefully.

"If you'd like? I get if you are settled and would rather stay there but -"

"No I'd love to the Dursely's isn't home its a prison so yes I'd move in, James what about you?"

James stood there not really knowing what to say. Sure he'd like to get to known the man who was his father but his dad was with is mum back home. "Sorry but I live with my adoptive parent's and I like it there, plus I've got access to the Black properties so I could just drop in for a few days at a time or something in the holidays. I have family and Harry doesn't so he needs you more than me. Sorry Sirius." James eventually answered sadly.

"No I get it. I ran away from home at 15 as I couldn't stand my mother any more. I went to the Potters, I was always welcome there with your dad and grandparents Harry. So yes James, I understand wanting to stay with your adoptive family as much as I may want you back. But I guess it's also true Harry does need me more as his only real parent figure left, oh how Lily and Prongs are laughing at me for be 'parental'. Never thought I was much of a father, didn't have you long enough, but may I can correct that now." Sirius said with some warmth.

"As much as I hate to interrupt this reunion I'm afraid I do need to get these two boys back to classes." Came the squeaky voice of Professor Flitwick from behind them. "Mr Black, congratulations on your aquittal I hope you recover swiftly."

"Er thank you Professor, and I'm sure you're right. Go on you two. Be sure to write to me I'll probably be found at St Mungo's for a while before heading home for Yule, er Christmas. You know 12 Grimmauld Place James?"

"I know of it but haven't it visited yet. I didn't have time in the summer to check the properties and deal with accounts so I left them for the holidays to visit to check them then while I sorted out the House finances" explained James.

"Oh how are they doing? We should be well off as the Blacks were among the richest in Britain" Sirius asked curiously.

"I think I've sorted it a bit. The goblins just seemed glad there was someone to speak to about it to be honest. They are better than they were and more active. To be honest I'm just glad I can hand it over to you to deal with as I hope you know more about it than I" James said with a bit of hope in his voice.

"I'm sure I can figure it out. After all it is serious business and I am Sirius about everything" he finished with a smirk but only got groans from the two boys. "Ugh pathetic, you're suppose to laugh. Right be off with you then, go learn something at school kiddos." The two boys gave him a brief hug before following their professor out of the court room and back to the main atrium of the Ministry. From there they headed over to the floos and Flitwick took them home in a flash of green fire.

**AN: Well I hope you liked the chapter please review if possible as it helps me to improve things later and for when I go back over past chapters. Many thanks, J signing off.**


	16. Chapter 16: Quidditch and Clues

**All rights to WB and JK**

**Rise of House Black**

**Quidditch and clues**

The rest of the week passed quickly after the excitement of the trial for James and Harry. Both boys learnt more about their Houses from Daphne with Susan meeting them a few times to add her own piece about the Potters since Daphne knew more about the Blacks due to her family's grey/neutral outlook compared to the Bones' more light affiliation. Both were also writing to Sirius who apparently was now at some hospital called St Mungo's for some recovery and mind healing. According to Sirius he preferred it to going back to the London town house of the Blacks as he hated that place and anything to put off going back there was a bonus. That said he was now terribly bored and was also bed bound by the healer's orders until they felt he was physically fit. As the days turned into weeks the group of four, which was turning slowly into five and occasionally six when Hannah Abbot accompanied Susan, quickly got into a rhythm of dealing with homework and the extra study in relation to House matters with the girls all teaching the two boys the needed knowledge and etiquette that was required of an heir or lord. It also helped with their general studying and practising of the various charms and spells taught the professors so far as well as catching up on what Quirrell should have been teaching but was currently stuttering through or missing completely. That said he had taught the theory of the disarming spell as well as the stinging hex and general theories on ghosts and vampires. Or at least that's what most, including the Ravenclaw four, assumed he was trying to teach.

Today, towards the end of September was the first Quidditch match of the year. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. As with most of the School the Ravenclaw four cheered on Gryffindor. They solidified their support for them after some rather rough playing, that many thought was out of order, by the Slytherin team. Harry and James however watched most of the match in awe trying to follow the game and pick up the rules. Being told the snitch effectively wins and ends the game caused both boys to try and hunt for it with Harry spotting it first while James more often than not ended up watching the chasers instead.

"You know Harry you could be seeker for your house next year with the way you find the snitch quicker than both those two out there. Though I equally wish you wouldn't so Cedric, our 'Puff seeker, can still get it" Susan said with a sigh and rueful smile. Harry just smiled back and thanked her for the suggestion. James meanwhile was talking to Daphne, with Tracey listening while watching the game, about the various teams that existed and quidditch in general.

"Well you know one team James, the Falmouth Falcons, since Harry's relatives both played for the team. It's a decent squad from what I've heard father mention but I don't really follow quidditch, my sister does so I hear about things from her too. Then there's the all girls team Holyhead Harpies who are quite good, frequently near the top of the table. Next there's the famously bad Chudley Cannons, haven't won a game in years." It was as they were finishing up on teams that they noticed the crowd begin to murmur in discontent right before a bludger whacked straight into the wooden seating area just below where Harry and James were sitting sending splinters and pieces of wood everywhere. "Bloody hell!" Tracey yelled as she began to pull Daphne away from their former seats while the boys picked themselves up off the ground. The bludger went through to the outside of the stadium before shooting back in a loop into the stadium heading right for the two boys. They both jumped to the side letting the bludger pass through leaving a massive hole in the benches where they had just sat. By this point most of the Ravenclaws who had been nearby had begun to panic and move quickly for the nearby towers to exit the seating area, the stampede of student caused problems for Professor Flitwick who was now trying to go the other way to get to his students who appeared to be under attack. The rogue bludger meanwhile had begun heading straight for Harry again as the two Gryffindor beaters, an identical pair of red heads, attempted to hit it away from the stands. This however only bought time as it swung round to aim straight for the Ravenclaw seating area. Harry and James had begun climb and stumble over benches and debris towards the tower while Flitwick was still caught up by the other students who stampeded his way as the seating area was vacated quickly. As the bludger came in for a final fatal charge on the boys Flitwick finally manage to break free of the crowd, spot the bludger and cast a spell causing said bludger to freeze mid air. "Quickly boys, over here!" came the squeaky voice of the small professor. Needing no further encouragement both boys ran over to Flitwick who was furiously casting various spells at the rogue ball. Giving the three girls who had waited for them by the tower a hug, the five children then moved behind the professor so that they were more out of the target area and had less to clamber over. They turned to see Flitwick cast a final spell which caused the bludger to explode into tiny pieces, fragments going everywhere. "Thanks Professor" James managed to breath out in relief while Harry nodded in agreement.

"Not to worry my boy, luckily no one got hurt. Maybe a bit of lost pride from a few students but I'm sure they'll cope. Most interesting what occurred though, very intricate charms work I am most impressed though of course terrified for my students. It appears to have been tampered with. Signs of dark magic with the intent to harm."

"Harm professor? Why would someone want it to harm me and Harry?"

"I don't know but it clearly went after you two given how it acted. More likely young Mister Potter here was the target as it seemed more focused on him from what I saw. As for why, well Potter here is the Boy Who Lived, that would make him a target for any who miss the time of You Know Who. Anyway, it's dealt with now though the match will have to end due to being a bludger down. That or they'll get a new one and restart at a later date. I suggest you head back to the dorm, ah yes Madam Hooch has called of the game." A whistle was heard and the boys turned to the pitch to see the various players making their way down to the ground.

"Match announcement: due to the destruction of the bludger that went rogue and targeted the crowd the game will be replayed next weekend. Thanks for coming and I'm glad to report no one was harmed. See you all next weekend folks" said the projected voice of the game commentator who seemed equally cheerful and disappointed.

The shaken Ravenclaw four plus Puff trooped up to the school before splitting up to go to their dorms and the 'Claws proceeded to read and talk in their common room while trying to relax after the terrifying quidditch match.

"It's not suppose to be like that Harry, I'm sure you'll enjoy the next match better" Tracey explained trying to relax Harry who still seemed a bit jumpy and nervous from the bludger attack.

"I know that Tracey, I just can't help but be a bit jittery and nervous about going back to the pitch. It's not like we know enough spells being the first month or so of our first year to do much about it if it happened again, hence my nervousness. That said I guess I'm still willing to go back again if you lot are?" Harry asked looking up at his friends.

"Of course Harry, it'll be fine and I'm sure we'll have a good time. Just got unlucky this time, right Daph?" James said looking at the girl.

"Yeah of course, enjoy it much more next time" she said unconvincingly while reading her book on transfiguration. "Just a waste of time to be honest. I don't mind reading or hearing about the results though, but sitting and watching the match is just a bit tedious."

"Real help you are" James replied and Tracey nodded in agreement. That evening Harry decided to have an early night and try and seep off the nerves and jitters.

* * *

The next morning the four friends went down to breakfast joining others who were going down at a more reasonable time for a Sunday. As the were seated there tucking in to their usual breakfast Hedwig came and landed next to Harry with a note attached. She glared at Harry when he tried to take the note.

"I'm sorry I haven't seen you much Hedwig. I've been busy is all. Look I'll give you three rashes of bacon. Forgive me?" She looked at him a bit longer as he stroked her feathers before giving n affection nip with her beak and lifting her leg for him to take the note. Harry then got the required amounts of bacon before then reading the note.

"Blimey Harry your bird is quite the mercenary, bribery by bacon? Whatever next" James said after taking in the scene before then being promptly glared at by said bird.

"She's not wrong James, I did leave her alone a bit. Should have visited her once or twice in the owlery to see how she was doing" he replied with a sigh and then a small smile at the glare sent James' way by Hedwig.

"So what's the note?" asked Tracey impatiently.

"Tracey you don't go asking others about their mail!" Daphne said indignantly. "That said, who did write to you Harry?"

"Oh a note from Hagrid asked if I wanted to meet for tea this afternoon, said he'd tell me tales of my parents and that. Thought I'd go, you want to come too?"

"Sure mate, I think I've mostly caught up on things and only really got potions left which is proving a bit tricky but I think I can cope with having a break for an hour or two. You two wanna come?" James said to the girls.

"I guess we could" said Daphne uncertainly. "Are you sure we can fit in that er, hut? That's down by the forest? It doesn't seem that big for all of us plus him and you know is is er quite big?"

"I'm sure we can manage. Never know it might be interesting, plus I'd like to hear of my parents" Harry replied.

* * *

Later that day after lessons had finished the four headed down to the weathered hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forrest. Knocking on the old but tough looking wooded door a load of barking was heard tat made the four jump.

"Down Fang! Get back ye bleedin' dog" came a voice from within before the door swung open. Hagrid stood there holding back a large dog, a black boarhound Harry thought. "'Arry, nice to see ya, brought some friends too? Come in, come in, I just put the kettle on" As the children entered they took the chance to view the hut they were in. There was only one room within this wooden hut, various dead birds and pieces of meet hung from the ceiling, a few small windows let in some light and the fire gave some more but the room was fairly dim and gloomy. A massive bed with a patchwork quilt sat off to on side while a copper kettle sat near the fire boiling away. "Make ye selves at home, won't be a tick" as he let the dog go and walked over to the now boiled kettle. The dog lumbered over to James and began licking his face before he managed to push the dog away.

"This is James, and my other friends Daphne and Tracey" Harry told Hagrid ho was now pouring water n to the cups on the table before then putting rock cakes on a plate on the table.

"Nice ta meet ya. Sorry about ya dad there James, knew him at school and a right menace and prankster he was, can't believe we all thought he betrayed young Harry here given how close your fathers were. Seems stupid now we know what happened but those were dark times, could rarely trust anyone. So how'd y'all meet?" Hagrid asked which led in to the whole tale of the train ride and teaching Harry some information about Houses and Lords. "Sorry bout that 'Arry, Dumbledore didn't wanna overwhelm ya with all sorts of things like that, to be honest it slipped my mind since I had the fetch the – oh well never mind that. Any way guess he wanted to give you a year to settle before telling you I guess, great man Dumbledore looking after his students."

"Yeah I guess I see where he's coming from, just wish he'd still told me, didn't have to be detailed just a small bit with the promise to tell more later would've been nice" Harry replied with a sigh while Daphne looked on with a small frown. When Harry glance at the table at the tea pot he saw a clipping from a newspaper:

_Gringotts Break-In Latest_

_Investigation continues into the break in at Gringotts bank on 31st July believed to be by dark witches or wizards unknown._

_Gingotts goblins insist nothing was taken from the vault in question which they say was in fact emptied earlier that day._

"Hagrid! That break in happened the same day we were there, do you think it relates to me or that thing you picked up?" Hagrid didn't meet Harry's eye and seemed to want to busy himself pouring more tea for everyone.

"So what were you collecting then Hagrid?" James asked

"Oh er was collecting the phil- er you don't need ta worry about that's between Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel" Hagrid immediately clamped a hand on his mouth before muttering, "I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that. I shouldn't have said that. Er would ya all kindly ferget I told ya that?"

"Told us what?" James quickly said while the other three gave him a glance which he replied with a wink and a nod to Hagrid. The other all then nodded along and Hagrid seemed to relax. When they left back to the castle after discussing lessons and complaints about Snape the four claws could only think about the object Hagrid had collected and how it connected to someone called Nicholas Flamel. Daphne seemed to have a thoughtful expression on her face in regards to that name. While harry wondered where it could now be since Hagrid picked it up, assuming there were all one and the same thing, which was likely. In all, the four had much to think about as they headed back to the castle with pockets full of rock cake as they'd all been too polite to refuse the offer.

**AN: Hello all, I'm still here just lost a bit of energy for writing and had a bit of a block on where to go. With all the lockdowns I just might get a few more chapters out. Hope you liked it and are all safe at home from the Corvid-19. J signing off**


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